Russian opera singer (lyric soprano), born in Vladikavkaz into an Ossetian family. Her father was a singer in an opera chorus, and her mother was a choral conductor. Elena studied ballet from age five to fifteen and initially planned to become a ballerina. It was her father who convinced her to switch to vocals, yet her ballet training is still evident in her stage movement and physicality.
She studied at the Vladikavkaz College of Arts named after V. Gergiev, then at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, graduating in 2005. Since 2006, she has been a participant in "Atelier Lyrique" (the young artists' program of the Paris National Opera). In 2007, she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival (as Zelmira in Haydn's "Armida").
A turning point in her career was meeting the great Romanian soprano Ileana Cotrubas. Hearing Tsallagova at a masterclass in Finland, Cotrubas said, "I would like to adopt you," and invited the singer to her villa in Nice, where she coached her for free over two months.
From 2008 to 2010, she was a soloist with the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, and since 2013, a soloist with the Deutsche Oper Berlin. She has performed at leading opera houses worldwide: the Paris Opera, Teatro Real in Madrid, Glyndebourne Festival, Opéra Bastille, Flanders Opera, Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. She also appears at festivals in Salzburg, Bregenz, Pesaro, and Lucerne.
Her repertoire includes roles by Mozart ("Don Giovanni," "The Magic Flute," "Così fan tutte"), Puccini ("La Bohème," "Turandot"), Verdi ("La Traviata," "Rigoletto," "Un Ballo in Maschera"), Rossini ("Il Viaggio a Reims," "Il Turco in Italia"), as well as challenging parts in operas by Debussy ("Pelléas et Mélisande"), Janáček ("The Cunning Little Vixen"), Rimsky-Korsakov ("The Tsar's Bride"), Wagner ("Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg"), Weinberg ("The Passenger"), and others.
After her debut in the title role of "Pelléas et Mélisande" at the Paris Opera, director Robert Wilson offered her any production of her choice for future collaboration.
She studied at the Vladikavkaz College of Arts named after V. Gergiev, then at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, graduating in 2005. Since 2006, she has been a participant in "Atelier Lyrique" (the young artists' program of the Paris National Opera). In 2007, she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival (as Zelmira in Haydn's "Armida").
A turning point in her career was meeting the great Romanian soprano Ileana Cotrubas. Hearing Tsallagova at a masterclass in Finland, Cotrubas said, "I would like to adopt you," and invited the singer to her villa in Nice, where she coached her for free over two months.
From 2008 to 2010, she was a soloist with the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, and since 2013, a soloist with the Deutsche Oper Berlin. She has performed at leading opera houses worldwide: the Paris Opera, Teatro Real in Madrid, Glyndebourne Festival, Opéra Bastille, Flanders Opera, Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. She also appears at festivals in Salzburg, Bregenz, Pesaro, and Lucerne.
Her repertoire includes roles by Mozart ("Don Giovanni," "The Magic Flute," "Così fan tutte"), Puccini ("La Bohème," "Turandot"), Verdi ("La Traviata," "Rigoletto," "Un Ballo in Maschera"), Rossini ("Il Viaggio a Reims," "Il Turco in Italia"), as well as challenging parts in operas by Debussy ("Pelléas et Mélisande"), Janáček ("The Cunning Little Vixen"), Rimsky-Korsakov ("The Tsar's Bride"), Wagner ("Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg"), Weinberg ("The Passenger"), and others.
After her debut in the title role of "Pelléas et Mélisande" at the Paris Opera, director Robert Wilson offered her any production of her choice for future collaboration.
