Yuriy Mynenko

A leading countertenor in historically informed performances of Baroque, Classical, and Romantic operas, Yuriy Mynenko has pursued an active career in his native Ukraine and internationally. Born in Radomyshl in the northern province of Zhytomyr Oblast, Mynenko studied piano and choral conducting, which he continued at the Odessa National Music Academy. He was trained at first as a baritone, then switched to countertenor while studying with Yuriy Teterya. After completing his post-graduate studies, Mynenko entered several voice competitions, prominent among them the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, where he reached the finals. He performed in many concerts across Europe, and launched his operatic career at the Schlosstheater Schwetzingen as Annio in a production of Mozart's La clemenza di Tito. Among his later performances were several Handel roles -- Rinaldo and Eustazio in Rinaldo, Ariodante in Ariodante, Scipione in Scipione, and David in Saul -- as well as Xbalanque in Purcell's The Indian Queen, Corrado in Vivaldi's Griselda, Ratmir in Glinka's Ruslan and Lyudmila, and Lel in Rimsky-Korsakov's The Snow Maiden. In 2015, Mynenko joined Max Emanuel Cencic, Valer Sabadus, Xavier Sabata, and Vince Yi in Decca's showcase, The 5 Countertenors. ~ Blair Sanderson