2. "One of the most remarkable international vocal careers of recent years. His voice is redolent of luxury: beautiful tone, pinpoint intonation, elegant, and impassioned delivery." - New York Times

3. Dmitri Hvorostovsky (born 16 October 1962)

4. Internationally acclaimed Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky was born and studied in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia.

5. He studied at the Krasnoyarsk School of Arts under Yekatherina Yofel and made his debut at Krasnoyarsk Opera House, in the role of Marullo in Rigoletto. He went on to win First Prize at both the Russian Glinka Competition in 1987 and the Toulouse Singing Competition in 1988. Hvorostovsky came to international prominence in 1989 when he won the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, beating local favorite Bryn Terfel in the final round. His performance included Handel's "Ombra mai fu" and "Per me giunto...O Carlo ascolta" from Verdi's Don Carlo.

6. From the start, audiences were bowled over by his cultivated voice, innate sense of musical line and natural legato.

7. After his Western operatic debut at the Nice Opera in Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame, his career exploded to take in regular engagements at the world’s major opera houses and appearances at renowned international festivals, including the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, New York’s Metropolitan Opera, the Paris Opera, the Bavarian State Opera, the Salzburg Festival, the Teatro alla Scala Milan, the Vienna State Opera, and the Chicago Lyric Opera.

8. A celebrated recitalist in demand in every corner of the globe - from the Far East to the Middle East, from Australia to South America - Hvorostovsky has appeared at such venues as Wigmore Hall, London; Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh; Carnegie Hall, New York; the Teatro alla Scala, Milan; the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, Moscow; the Liceu, Barcelona; the Suntory Hall, Tokyo; and the Musikverein, Vienna.

9. The singer regularly performs in concert with top orchestras like the New York Philharmonic and the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and conductors, including James Levine, Bernard Haitink, Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Yuri Termikanov and Valery Gergiev.

10. Dmitri retains a strong musical and personal contact with Russia. He became the first opera singer to give a solo concert with orchestra and chorus on Red Square in Moscow; this concert was televised in over 25 countries. Dmitri has gone on to sing a number of prestigious concerts in Moscow as a part of his own special series, ‘Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Friends’. He has invited such celebrated artists as Renee Fleming, Sumi Jo and Sondra Radvonosky.

11. In 2005 he gave an historic tour throughout the cities of Russia at the invitation of President Putin, singing to crowds of hundreds of thousands of people to commemorate the soldiers of the Second World War. Dmitri now tours the cities of Russia and Eastern Europe on an annual basis.

12. Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s extensive discography spans recitals and complete operas. He has also starred in Don Giovanni Unmasked, an award-winning film (by Rhombus Media) based on the Mozart opera, tackling the dual roles of Don Giovanni and Leporello.

13. Recently Dmitri has established a new collaboration with the Russian popular composer Igor Krutoi, with very successful concerts in Moscow, St Petersburg and Kiev.

14. As Prince Yeletzky in the Metropolitan Opera's 1995 performace of The Queen of Spades. As Valentin in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Gounod's Faust with Renée Fleming in 1997.

15. In Krasnoyarsk in 1997.

16. As Valentin in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Gounod's Faust in 1998 As Count Almaviva in the Royal Opera House's 1998 production of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro.

17. As Grigory Gryaznov with Anna Netrebko in the San Francisco Opera's 2000 production of Rimsky- Korsakov's The Tzar's Bride As Count di Luna with Verónica Villarroel in the Royal Opera House's 2002 production of Verdi's Il trovatore.

18. As Germont in the Royal Opera House's 2008 production of La Traviata. Photo by Rob Moore. As Germont in La Traviata at Naples's Teatro San Carlo in 2007.

19. As Onegin with Ramon Vargas in the 2007 Metropolitan Opera production of Eugene Onegin

20. “Genuine stars are rare in the classical music world, though Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky ranks among them. He is glamourous and audiences love him. The moment he steps on to the platform there are cheers. …staggering stuff, all of it, leaving you in no doubt that he is one of the great recitialists of our time.” - The Guardian Presentation by Uzlovsky