ABOUT BARNO

Uzbek soprano Barno Ismatullaeva has established herself on the international operatic stage with acclaimed performances in leading dramatic and lyric roles. Recent highlights include opening the 2025/26 season at Teatro Regio Torino as Francesca in Zandonai’s Francesca da Rimini alongside Roberto Alagna, as well as performances of Madama Butterfly at Teatro Real Madrid, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Hamburg State Opera, Teatro Regio Torino and Teatro Massimo Palermo. Other engagements include Norma and Elisabetta in Maria Stuarda at Hamburg State Opera, Elisabetta in Roberto Devereux at Dutch National Opera, and Desdemona in Otello at Teatro Massimo Palermo. Her international breakthrough included a celebrated appearance as Cio-Cio-San in the 2022 Bregenz Festival production of Madama Butterfly, conducted by Enrique Mazzola and broadcast internationally.

Born in Andijan, Uzbekistan, Ismatullaeva graduated from the Tashkent State Conservatory before joining the Alisher Navoi Opera House and subsequently the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre in Moscow. Following her participation in BBC Cardiff Singer of the World in 2017, she made her Austrian debut as Amelia in Simon Boccanegra in Innsbruck and her German debut in Madama Butterfly in Nuremberg. From 2019 to 2025, she was an ensemble member of Staatsoper Hannover, where her repertoire included Desdemona, Tatyana, Mimì, Nedda and the dual roles of Elena and Margherita in Mefistofele. She has collaborated with distinguished conductors including Enrique Mazzola, Andrea Battistoni, Omer Meir Wellber, Nicola Luisotti and Cristian Măcelaru.