Alex Ilvakhin

Ukrainian baritone Alexander (Alex) Ilvakhin studied at the Odessa College of Arts and Culture and continued his vocal training from 2016 at the Nezhdanova National Academy of Music in Odessa, where he earned a Bachelor of Music in 2020. He then completed a Master’s degree under Mark Wildman at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Alex gained early stage experience as an actor, as well as in musical and opera performances. At the Young Theater and Odessa Music Theater, he appeared in leading roles in productions such as Mowgli, Aladdin's Wonderful Lamp, The Golden Key, Karlsson-on-the-Roof, The Canterville Ghost, Kiss Me, Kate, Pinocchio, and more. His performances in rock operas like Romeo and Juliet and Ariadne Thread, combined with his classical vocal training, led him to pursue an opera career.

He participated in numerous national vocal competitions, winning awards in Ukraine, Turkey, and the Czech Republic. In 2018, he made a strong impression on the television show The Voice of Ukraine.

In February 2023, Alex performed the role of Antonio in Le Nozze di Figaro and portrayed Slook in Cambiale di Matrimonio at the Royal Academy of Music Opera. He also played the role of the Toad in Shostakovich’s The Silly Little Mouse for the Longborough Festival Opera in June 2023. In the summer of 2022, he sang the role of Mr. Astley in Prokofiev's The Gambler at the Festival della Valle d'Itria in Martina Franca.

Alex refined his vocal skills at the Rodolfo Challetti Belcanto Academy in Martina Franca. In 2022, he was awarded the second prize and a special prize from the Fundanción Victoria de Los Ángeles at the Certamen Nuevas Voces Ciudad de Sevilla competition in Spain.

In June 2023, Alex received the Drake Calleja Trust Scholarship and an award from the Fondazione Paolo Grassi. In September 2023, he was honored with the Pavarotti Prize from the Royal Academy of Music and won the Mercedes Viñas Extraordinary Prize at the Tenor Viñas Competition in 2024. In the summer of 2024, Alex Ilvakhin appeared in the new production of Nino Rota’s Aladino at the Festival della Valle d'Itria.

Starting in the 2024/25 season, Alex Ilvakhin will be a member of the Opernstudio at the Vienna State Opera.