NEWS
LEILI OKDIROVA – THE SINGING STAR 2020
It is no mere chance that Leili Okdirova has won the Star of the Year competition. Leili is very popular in the music scene as a budding opera singer. Even when she studied the violin with Garold Neimark, the teacher always said, “Any theater would gladly hire her at once”. On behalf of our readers we congratulated Leili on her prestigious status - The Star of the Year 2020 and requested an interview.
– Leili, what feelings do you have after winning the competition?
– Naturally, I am filled with overwhelming joy, happiness and excitement! My brother was the first to congratulate me, and he was extremely happy for me, too. Winning helps to raise the ambitious bar, boosts your confidence and acts as a strong stimulus to your creative work. This is the fourth time I have taken part in the competition, and there were more deserving winners for three consecutive years. And I decided for myself: this is going to be the last time. Finally, fortune smiled on me. 2020 has turned out successful for me and it brought me the Star of the Year title ahead of New Year celebrations!
– Tell us about yourself, please. How did it happen that you had learned the violin for long, possessing such a unique singing voice?
– My parents recognized my musical abilities when I was a child, and sent me to Special Music Boarding School, where there was no vocal department. I studied for 11 years there. During my studies, I successfully gave vocal performances at concerts. I even took part in the concert held to mark the inauguration of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. In 2007, I received a cassette with Spanish songs performed by opera singer Cecilia Bartoli as a gift. The Italian diva’s captivating voice made me even more determined to be a singer. In 2008, I planned to apply for admission to the Turkmen National Conservatory, but then I received an invitation from the Pyotr Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine and went there.
– Wasn’t it difficult for you to study far from your home country and your nearest and dearest?
– I didn’t feel out of place or like an outsider there. I was at home with my fellow students and roommates at the dormitory. Hero of Ukraine, People’s Artist of Ukraine Diana Ignatievna Petrienko was my teacher. When I was a second-year student, I participated in the Solomiya Krushelnitskaya International Competition for Opera Singers taking place at the Lvov National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after Solomiya Krushelnitskaya. As a representative of Turkmenistan, I competed on the same stage with singers from Italy, Germany, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine. And I was the youngest participant. Opera singers’ voices fully mature, that is reach their peak between the ages of 30 – 40. Let’s take Anna Netrebko or Dmitri Hvorostovsky as an example. And still I won a gold medal. It did not mean first place, it was the medal of Hope I would live my life with, improving my singing voice and bringing it to perfection. I graduated from the Academy with honors, and returned to Ashgabat to work at the Philharmonic Society.
Those who watched the closing ceremony of the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games can surely remember one of my performances. Dressed in an unusual blue costume, I performed as a water fairy, Su Perisi.
At present, I combine my work at the Philharmonic Society with my work at the Conservatory as a vocal illustrator.
– What’s this?
– An illustrator is a singer who performs with instrumental accompaniment.
– Leili, you have the song “The Nightingale” by Alexander Alyabiev in your repertoire. Did you feel scared at the thought of performing the song after the exceptional performance by Medeniet Shakhberdyeva? It is impossible to outperform Shakhberdyeva!
– I did not have a goal of performing better. But the brilliant performance by Medeniet Shakhberdyeva does not mean that other vocalists should not sing it. We have different schools and different styles of singing.
– What did Medeniet Shakhberdyeva think of your performance?
– Unfortunately, I was not personally acquainted with this unique singer. But I think, if I received neither favorable nor negative reviews from her this meant she reacted calmly.
– Leili, we would like to offer you our congratulations once again on winning the competition in 2020, and wish you a successful 2021. We hope you will continue to delight us with your beautiful voice!
– Thank you very much for the congratulations. I wish you and your readers good health, happiness, and joy.