Born in Leningrad, mezzo soprano Julia Gertseva studied singing, piano and choral conducting at the Conservatory in her hometown. She was engaged by the Mussorgsky Theatre in St.Petersburg, a Company she justify in 2003 to follow an international career.
In 2002 she made her Italian debut at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice as Vavara in Katja Kabanova, followed by Sonietka in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at Santa Cecilia in Rome conducted by Rostropovich. She sang Ulrica at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Santuzza in Cape Town and Joan in Tchaikovsky’s Maid of Orleans in Palermo. She took part in the Berlin AIDS Gala conducted by Christian Thielemann.
The following seasons she had her Paris debut with the Orchestre National de France with the role of Cecri in Alaleona´s Mirra conducted by Juraj Valcuha. She sang in Prokofiev’s Alexander Newsky in Catania, Charlotte in Werther at the Teatro Comunale Bologna, Carmen at La Scala, Milan and at the Hamburg Staatsoper, Berlioz’ Romeo et Juliette at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam conducted by Sir Colin Davis, Beethoven´s 9th symphony conducted by Myung Whun Chung, Fenena in Nabucco at the Vienna Staatsoper, as well as Polina in Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame at La Scala, Milan.
In 2006 she sang the title role in Carmen conducted by Georges Prêtre at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome and at the Semperoper in Dresden, Laura in La Gioconda in Catania, Carmen at the Teatro Regio in Turin, Fenena at the Teatro Comunale Bologna.
Her engagements throughout the 2007/8 Season included Suzuki at the Chorégies Festival in Orange, Carmen in Valencia conducted by Lorin Maazel, Preziosilla in La Forza del destino and Carmen at the Teatro Communale in Florence, as well as Eboli in Don Carlo in Tel-Aviv, three productions under the direction of Zubin Mehta, Dalila at the Teatro Comunale Bologna and Santander, Tigrana in Puccini’s Edgar at the Teatro Regio in Turin and Verdi’s Requiem with the Oslo Philharmonic conducted by Frühbeck de Burgos.
In the 2009 to 2011 seasons she sang Marina in Boris Godunov in Venice´s La Fenice, Carmen in Tokyo as well as in Modena, Piacenza, Ferrara and Ravenna, Polina in Pique Dame at the Teatro Regio Turin. She took part in two consecutive Seasons of Abu Dhabi Classics with Teatro La Fenice.
She also sang Dalila in Samson et Dalila in Liège, Carmen at Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Venus in Tannhäuser at Teatro La Scala, conducted by Zubin Mehta, Herodiade in Massenet´s opera in Antwerpen. She will sing and record Death in Stravinsky Rossignol with WDR Orchester and Saraste, Verdi Requiem with Frühbeck de Burgos in Copenhague, Carmen and Santuzza in St Petersburg. In December 2011 she will sing Carmen in a new production at Royal Opera House Muscat (Oman).
