Larisa Dolina

Larisa Aleksandrovna Dolina (russian: link=no, Лариса Александровна Долина, , née Kudelman, Кудельман, formerly Mionchinskaya, Миончинская; born 10 September 1955) is an Azerbaijani-born prominent Russian (former Soviet) jazz and pop singer and actress. She was awarded the Order of Honour in 2005. In January 2023, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Larisa for her support of 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Biography

Dolina was born on 10 September 1955, in Baku to an Azerbaijani Jewish family. Her father, Aleksandr Markovich Kudelman, was a construction worker, her mother, Galina Izrailevna Kudelman (née Dolina), a seamstress. When Dolina was three, the family moved to Odesa. At six, she began attending a music school where she studied the cello.

Dolina's musical career began in 1971 in the performance group "My Odessity" (We are Odessa Natives). She then worked as lead singer for the "State Performing Orchestra of Armenia", the "State Performing Orchestra of Azerbaijan", and the performing group "Sovremennik" (Contemporary). In 1981, Dolina performed together with Weyland Rodd as part of the "Anthology of jazz vocals" tour.

In 1982, Dolina performed the hit "Tri belyh konya" (Three white horses) for the soundtrack of the film Charodei (Magicians). In 1984, she sang in the musical "Istoriya doktora Fausta" (Story of doctor Faust).

Dolina began a solo career in 1985, working with the Leningrad based composer Viktor Reznikov. She began to produce her own concert shows, including "Zatyazhnoy Pryzhok" (Long Jump), "Kontrasty" (Contrasts), "L'dinka" (Little Icicle), and "Malen'kaya Zhenschina" (Little Woman). In 1990, Dolina played the lead role in the rock opera "Giordano" opposite Valery Leontiev.

In 1991, Dolina performed in front of 20,000 people at the festival Radio Prestige in La Rochelle, France. The same year, she was awarded the prize of "Best female singer" at "Profi", a Russian national competition. In 1993, she became an Honored Artist of Russia. In 1994, she won the "Crystal dolphin" prize at the all-Russian competition in Yalta and also won the national musical award "Ovation" after being nominated in the "best female rock singer" category. In 1995, she created a new concert program called "Ya ne nravlus' sebye" (I don't like myself) and toured in Baku, Almaty, Kyiv, Yerevan, Minsk, Riga, Kishinev, and Jerusalem, as well as a number of cities in Europe and the United States. In 1996, she won the "Ovation" award again, this time in the "best female pop singer" category.

Dolina appeared as an actress in the films "Barkhatniy sezon" (Velvet season), "My iz dzhaza" (We are from the jazz), "Ostrov pogibshih korabley" (Island of sunken ships), and "Suvenir dlia prokurora" (A souvenir for the prosecutor). Her songs have been featured in more than 70 live action and animated films.

In 2003, Dolina joined the United Russia political party. In 2007, Dolina performed several George Gershwin compositions at the ''Gershwin Gala'' at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. In 2010, she played multiple roles, including the lead, in the musical "Lyubov and shpionazh" (Love and espionage), which was written specifically for the singer.

During 2004, Dolina performed live at the Kostya Tszyu-Sharmba Mitchell boxing rematch in Phoenix, Arizona, United States.

In February 2011, Dolina performed "Summertime" and "Wonder Where You Are" at a concert at Crocus City Hall dedicated to the songs of jazz legend Al Jarreau. Both songs were part of Dolina's new album titled "Hollywood Mood". She followed that up with a rendition of "Private Dancer" by Tina Turner at the "Novaya Volna" (New Wave) competition in July 2011. Later in the year, Dolina unveiled a new concert program titled "Sny extraverta" (Dreams of an extrovert) in Kirov. She spent much of 2012 touring with the new concert and reprising her role in the musical "Lyubov and shpionazh".

In February 2012, Dolina was tapped to perform the national anthems of both Russia and Canada at a televised hockey game in Red Square commemorating the 40-year anniversary of the 1972 hockey rivalry between the two countries. Later that year, Dolina toured the United States, giving concerts in Boston, Las Vegas, and New York City.

Dolina supported the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the Presidential Administration of Russia put her on the list of singers who were recommended to be invited to state-sponsored events.

Personal life

* First husband – Anatoly Mionchinsky (1980–1987)
* Second husband – Victor Mityazov (1987–1998)
* Third husband – Ilya Spitsin (1998–present)
*Daughter – Angelina Mionchinskaya (b. 1983)
*Granddaughter – Alexandra (b. 28 September 2011)Лариса Долина стала бабушкой

Filmography

*'' An Ordinary Miracle (1978) as Emilia in duo with Leonid Serebrennikov as the Innkeeper
*'' Very Blue Beard'' (1979)
*''Charodei'' (''Magicians'') (1982) as Nina Pukhova (vocal, uncredited)
*''We Are from Jazz'' (1983) as Clementine Fernandez
*''Coordinates of Death'' (1985) performed theme song '' The land of Vietnamese''
*''Chelovek s bulvara Kaputsinov'' ( A Man from the Boulevard des Capuchines) (1987) – voice of Diana Little
*''Island of Lost Ships'' (1987)
*''Starye pesni o glavnom'' (''Old Songs of the Main Things'') (1996) as Manager of a local store
*''Klubnichka'' (''Cafe Strawberry'') (1997)
*''Noveyshie priklyucheniya Buratino'' (''New Adventures of Buratino'') (1997) as Tortilla-The-Tortoise
*''Starye pesni o glavnom 2'' (''Old Songs of the Main Things 2'') (1997) as Club director
*''Starye pesni o glavnom 3'' (''Old Songs of the Main Things 3'') (1998)
*''Zolushka'' (''Cinderella'') (2003) as Godmother

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolina, Larisa
1951 births
Living people
Musicians from Baku
Soviet women singers
Soviet actresses
Azerbaijani Jews
Russian jazz singers
20th-century Russian women singers
20th-century Russian singers
21st-century Russian singers
Soviet Jews
Russian Jews
21st-century Russian women singers
Winners of the Golden Gramophone Award
Jazz musicians