Nino Machaidze

Nino Machaidze (Georgian: ნინო მაჩაიძე; born 8 March 1983 in Tbilisi) is a Georgian operatic soprano. She gained international attention after being cast as Juliette in Roméo et Juliette at Salzburg Festival in 2008.

Nino Machaidze was born and raised in Tblisi, in the republic of Georgia. At the age of seven she began piano and vocal lessons at a school affiliated with the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, which she later also attended. Between 2000 and 2005, she sang Norina in Don Pasquale, Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia at Tbilisi’s Paliashvili Theatre.In 2005, She was accepted at La Scala Theatre Academy (Accademia Teatro alla Scala). In 2006 she debuted there as Naiad in Ariadne auf Naxos and won the Leyla Gencer Voice Competition in Istanbul.

In 2007 after singing Silvia in Ascanio in Alba, Machaidze sang Marie in La fille du régiment, the role which she later performed on her Rome Opera debut, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi and Musetta in La bohème at La Scala.

Being spotted as Lauretta led to her opportunity to play Juliette in the new production of Gounod's Roméo et Juliette opposite Rolando Villazón at the Salzburg Festival in 2008 when Anna Netrebko dropped out due to pregnancy. After only one month's preparation, the performance turned out to be successful, therefore propelled her to international fame.