Yuliya Zinoveva

The fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s brought independence to Kazakhstan and opened the doors for Yulia's mother to come to the United States in search of greater opportunities for herself and her two young daughters. In 1996, Yulia's family settled in Southern California. Shy, self-conscious and struggling to learn the language and customs of her new home, Yulia found solace - and a means of expression - in the world she knew best: music. Already an accomplished violinist for her age, Yulia continued to hone her skills and started taking private voice lessons. It wasn't long before Yulia's talents put her in the limelight once again: in 1999, she became the first contestant in the history of the Applause Young Artists Showcase to win both the instrumental and vocal competitions; a year later, she repeated that performance, becoming the first to win both categories back-to-back. Majoring in Vocal Performance, Yulia found the depth and breadth of the CalArts musical community irresistible; she applied her voice and talents to a broad range of styles, ranging from classical to baroque, jazz, pop, and the extended vocal techniques of traditional World Music, while at the same time drawing on those experiences to compose her own songs and experimental pieces. Encouraged by a family friend and vocal coach, Yulia discovered an aptitude for opera and made it the primary focus of her studies. She soon became an active participant and performer in the opera community, working with OperaWorks, SongFest and Bel Canto. Though still a student, Yulia won roles in several productions and has performed on stage at Walt Disney Hall in downtown Los Angeles, as well as the Red Cat Theater and the Sidney Cohen Center with the San Luis Obispo Symphony Guild. Yulia even appeared opposite Michael Madsen in the film Jacked$ (2004) in which she played an opera singer and performed on he title track of the soundtrack. Yulia received her BFA in Vocal Performance from CalArts in 2004 and went on to receive her Master's in 2006. With her education complete, a growing reputation in the opera community and several roles already to her credit, it would appear that Yulia was well on her way to long and successful career as a soprano. But Yulia had other plans. Setting aside the seemingly ready-made life that opera offered, Yulia instead chose to follow her creative heart, taking her chances in the much more competitive world of popular music. Since 2009 and her debut album "La-La-Land", she's using the stage name Yulianna and has begun, in United States as all over the world, a very promising career.