Maria Veretenina — soprano and performer of Romantic and Baroque repertoire. Discover her operatic artistry, concert highlights, recordings, and visual projects blending classical elegance with modern expression.

About me

Maria Veretenina is an internationally acclaimed dramatic soprano known for her powerful voice, expressive artistry, and wide-ranging performance experience across leading concert halls and opera stages.

 

 

This is who I am

I am an artist who lives through music. My voice is my way of exploring emotion, color, and the fragile beauty of human experience. On stage, I seek to create moments that resonate — moments where sound becomes something more than sound, something that lingers long after the final note fades.
I also paint, and this visual side of my creativity shapes how I understand music. Colors become harmonies, lines become phrasing, and each canvas becomes another way of telling a story.
Music and art are two languages I speak — both leading me toward honesty, depth, and the joy of sharing beauty with others.
soprano

Opera Singer soprano

Maria Veretenina is a renowned opera singer whose career includes performing with the legendary Montserrat Caballé, a milestone that marked her as one of the notable voices of her generation.
Oil canvas

Painter Oil canvas

In her free time beyond singing, rehearsing, and teaching, Maria enjoys painting with oils. This creative practice brings her balance and adds another dimension to her artistic life.
School

Teacher and Mentor School

Maria Veretenina is a devoted teacher and mentor who shares her love of music with children in Tallinn, guiding young voices as they discover confidence and creativity.

My Most Important Achievement

My greatest achievement is the ability to live not in the past, but fully in the present, dedicating every moment to my life’s mission: bringing light and spirituality into the world through music, concerts, and my students. I have devoted my life to the art of opera in order to touch the beauty of the human soul, to give love and smiles, and to make the world a better place through harmony.

This path required not only talent, but also unwavering discipline. I am proud to have refined my gift — a unique five-octave coloratura-dramatic soprano — during my studies at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and the prestigious Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Italy.

My career is not just a list of awards; it is a map of how Estonian culture has been recognized around the world. I am grateful to God that throughout my life I have been able to sing and teach, serving people from all walks of life through music. I have had the honor of learning from world opera legends such as Montserrat Caballé and performing as a soloist in international projects broadcast on European television. But I consider my true achievement not the applause in the concert hall, but the moments when music is born in the silence of the rehearsal room. Creativity is love.

I deeply believe that the greatest value in life is children. They are the ones who carry our purpose and ideals from generation to generation. My mission is to touch the beauty of human souls through the art of opera, to give love and smiles, and to make the world a more harmonious place — today and for future generations.


My Greatest Dream

My greatest dream is to create an international creative academy or charitable foundation that becomes a cradle for talented children and young people, regardless of their social background. I dream that my five-octave voice will be heard not only on the great opera stages of the world, but will also serve as an instrument of healing, comfort, and enlightenment where it is needed most.

I believe that music is a universal language of love, capable of erasing boundaries between nations and generations. My dream is to leave behind a legacy of students and projects that continue to carry the light of classical art, making our society more spiritual, kind, and harmonious. I want to show the world that the beauty of a woman and the greatness of music together can create true miracles.


My Athletic Achievements

My greatest athletic achievement is the complete mastery of my body as an instrument. Singing across five octaves requires lung capacity, discipline, and endurance on the level of a professional athlete. My flexibility and freedom on stage are built on a strong foundation: in opera school I underwent serious dance training — from classical ballet to modern dance and even circus acrobatics.

As a child, I actively practiced tennis and cycling, which taught me determination and the will to win. Today I maintain my physical condition through swimming and long walks in nature. I believe that a woman’s body is a temple where the creative spirit lives, and my athletic background allows me to keep this temple strong and pure.


My Lifestyle

The profession of an opera singer requires an athletic routine: healthy nutrition, sufficient rest, and constant vocal training to keep my instrument in perfect shape. But for me, lifestyle also means mental well-being: I begin each day with gratitude, find peace in nature walks, and draw inspiration from good books and history.

I am not only an artist on stage but also a woman who cherishes every moment with her children and students, believing that the true art of life lies in the ability to share love and light through everything I do.


My Favorite Habit

My favorite habit is the early morning silence — time dedicated to myself, when I align my spirit and body for the new day. It begins with gratitude and a gentle vocal warm-up that feels like meditation — a moment when I gather light to share later on stage, at concerts, or with my students.

Another essential habit of mine is continuous learning: whether it is a new aria, a philosophical work, or a historical fact, I consider the day wasted if I have not learned something new. This keeps my soul young and my mind open.


My Worst Habit

Throughout my life I have sung for kings as well as for the simplest, sick, and suffering people. In these contrasting worlds — especially when performing for gravely ill children — I have experienced moments when faith trembled from pain. And this, I believe, is the greatest possible sin: to lose faith in one’s purpose, dreams, and in God.

I believe that everything can be taken from us in this world — possessions, work, fame, or loved ones — but one thing can never be stolen: our eternal soul. My “bad habit” is perhaps excessive empathy, taking on the pain of others. But I am learning to transform it into light, because I know that the absence of hope is the only true loss.


What I Love Most in Life

What I love most in life is life itself — in all its infinite diversity — and those sacred moments when human souls touch through music. I love the pure, primordial sincerity that children radiate, and the deep, almost tangible light that is born in the creative process, when not only the instrument but the spirit itself is tuned.

I love my mother and my son — the closest people in my life. I love my students, in whom I see the continuation of our shared values, dreams, and love for art. I admire intelligent, creative, and constructive people who change the world. My place of strength is the sea — its infinity and power remind me of the greatness of the Creator.

I choose to believe in goodness, despite everything. I love that incomparable feeling when through art I can give the world love and smiles, leaving a trace in people’s hearts that will remain forever — because love is the one language every soul understands without translation. And finally, I love the very state of “loving,” because even if it sometimes brings pain, through it you feel the immense force of life and gain the will to move forward.


I Am Ready for Victory

For the sake of victory, I am ready to devote my time, energy, and voice to being a worthy ambassador of Estonian culture and feminine strength. I see victory not as an endpoint but as a powerful new platform from which I can bring my mission — to carry light and spirituality through music — to an even wider audience.

My students were overjoyed to learn that their teacher is participating in “Mrs. Estonia,” and this inspires me to work selflessly to help people around the world find their calling, keep faith in themselves, and remain dignified in any situation. I am ready to be a bridge between art and charity, proving that a crown obliges one first and foremost to serve others and create harmony. After all, the most important thing is the spark in the eyes and the hope that gives life.


Where I See Myself in 10 Years

In ten years, I see myself as a globally recognized cultural ambassador who has founded her own music academy or spiritual center — a place where classical art meets spiritual growth. In truth, this journey has already begun.

I see myself as a woman who has united thousands of hearts with her five-octave voice and life experience, becoming a mentor for a new generation. My concerts have become more than performances — they are spiritual journeys that bring peace and hope to the world.

I see my son grown and proud of his mother, and my own mother healthy and happy.

My dreams remain endless. As Nietzsche said, “One must still have chaos in oneself to give birth to a dancing star.” It is this creative flame and inner “chaos” from which music is born that makes my eyes shine. I believe that as long as we dream and love — even when it hurts — we are alive.

My mission — to serve through light and music — grows stronger every year. In ten years, I see myself as an internationally recognized cultural ambassador with my own academy or spiritual center, a place where classical art meets spiritual development. And honestly, this path has already begun. I see myself as a woman who, thanks to her unique voice and life experience, has united thousands of hearts and become a mentor to a new generation of talent.