A Belarusian opera singer almost lost it all for publicly opposing his nation's authoritarian leader. Now, he is rebuilding his life in suburban Boston with his wife and three children and teaches music to middle school students:
Opera singer Ilya Silchukou stands for a photograph at a park in a suburb of Boston, Oct. 4, 2022. Silchukou was a cultural icon in his native Belarus, the lead soloist at the State Opera Bolshoi who represented his nation at official government functions.
“I am known in Europe, but I've never performed in the States, and it was like a blank piece of paper for me, just a new page," he said during a recent interview in Boston. “We had to start from scratch here." His public opposition to Lukashenko got him fired from the opera for an “act of immorality” and he was black-listed, he said. In response, he had one more act of defiance — using his baritone voice in a video of the“It was so evident to all of us that we could not keep silent any more."
Lvova and her husband first saw Silchukou at one of his last public performances in Minsk and “fell in love with his voice,” she said.“Ilya is a real patriot of Belarus," she said. “You cannot be successful in a country that is a prison, and unfortunately our country is a prison right now."“It's pretty incredible that he's able to share some of the experiences he's had at some of the best opera houses in Europe," said Margarita Druker, Star Academy's co-director.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Opera singer flees Belarusian oppression to revive careerBOSTON (AP) — Ilya Silchukou was a cultural icon in his native Belarus, the lead soloist at the State Opera Bolshoi who represented his nation at official government functions at home and abroad and performed at opera houses across Europe.
Read more »
Dropkick Murphys Talk Reviving Woody Guthrie, Going Acoustic, and That Viral MAGA RantSinger Ken Casey, who says he’s getting death threats since his onstage indictment of election deniers, leads the Boston punk band through a new album of Guthrie songs
Read more »
Normani recalls feeling ‘helpless’ while supporting her mom through breast cancerFor Normani, there are two experiences people go through when someone is diagnosed with breast cancer: “The one who is enduring and the one who is doing their best to support.”
Read more »
Column: California wildfires to Florida hurricanes, how the rich game climate changeAfter Hurricane Ian, readers rightly asked: Why is rebuilding in coastal Florida any different than rebuilding for poor Californians after wildfires?
Read more »