Popov Svetlana

About

Svetlana Popova is the only female symphony orchestra conductor in Moldova, born on March 14, 1966, in the village of Mereșeni, Hâncești district. She completed her musical education with studies in choral conducting at the Moldavian Conservatory (now the Academy of Music, Theatre, and Fine Arts in Chișinău) under the guidance of professors L. Aksenova and V. Boldurat, then continued as a postgraduate student at the "G. Enescu" Academy of Music in Bucharest between 1990 and 1992, where she studied symphony orchestra conducting. Her debut as a symphonic conductor took place in 1992 with the Romanian Radio Orchestra, and a year later she participated in the International Festival of Young Conductors in Sinaia-Bușteni, Romania. Her intense professional career in opera and ballet began in 1996 at the Maria Bieșu National Opera and Ballet Theatre, where she serves as the symphony orchestra conductor. Her repertoire includes grand classical operas, such as Verdi's operas ("Traviata," "Rigoletto," "The Troubadour," "Aida," "Nabucco"), Puccini's ("La Bohème," "Madama Butterfly," "Tosca"), and Tchaikovsky's essential ballets ("Swan Lake," "The Nutcracker," "The Sleeping Beauty"). International critics have highly praised her conducting mastery, and the British publication The Stage named her a "charismatic young conductor," while other reviews in the English press have lauded the elegance and efficiency of her baton technique. In parallel with her theater work, Popova also engaged in consistent pedagogical activity at the Academy of Music, Theatre, and Fine Arts, teaching in the Academic Singing department and conducting the opera studio. She toured numerous European countries—Romania, Germany, Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland, and Great Britain—with the performance of "The Nutcracker" at the Royal Albert Hall in London being a remarkable achievement. Among her collaborators are renowned musicians such as Radu Poklitaru, and in 2022, she was designated People's Artist, an official recognition of her outstanding contributions in the field.