
Pronouns
she/her/hers
Employed Since
2018
Educational History
B.M., University of Rochester; M.M., University of Cincinnati; D.M.A., University of Cincinnati
Professional Highlights
GRAMMY®-nominated soprano Fotina Naumenko has been praised for her “radiant voice” (Boston Globe), described as both “angelic” (MusicWeb International) and “capable of spectacular virtuosic hi-jinks” (Boston Musical Intelligencer). Dr. Naumenko’s singing encompasses a wide variety of vocal genres including art song, oratorio, opera, choral, chamber and new music, both as a soloist and ensemble singer.
Her performances of David Lang’s “just” and Castiglioni’s “Cantus Planus” at the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music were hailed as “a beautiful performance” by The New York Times and “a stunner” by the Boston Globe. She was a soloist in the world premiere of Arvo Pärt’s “O Holy Saint Nicholas” with the Artefact Ensemble, and was a featured soloist with the Boston Pops in the symphonic premiere of “Sondheim on Sondheim,” a Sondheim musical revue curated by James Lapine. Her debut solo album, “Bespoke Songs,” was nominated for a 2025 GRAMMY® in the category of Best Classical Solo Vocal Album.
Dr. Naumenko sings with many of the leading vocal ensembles in the country, with credits including Skylark, Conspirare, the Artefact Ensemble, the Experiential Chorus, Clarion, the Saint Tikhon Choir, PaTRAM, Cappella Romana, The Thirteen, Coro Volante, Alium Spiritum and the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble, among many others. Dr. Naumenko has recorded with these groups on the Reference Recordings, Chandos, Cappella Romana, Delos, Pentatone, Ablaze Records, Naxos and Cincinnati Fanfare labels, resulting in one GRAMMY® win (Ethel Smyth’s “The Prison with the Experiential Chorus”) and seven GRAMMY® nominations.
Dr. Naumenko is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music (B.M.), the Cincinnati College-Conservatory (M.M., D.M.A.), and is a Fulbright scholar, having completed a post-graduate diploma specializing in Russian vocal music and diction at the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory in St. Petersburg, Russia (www.RussianAriaResource.com). She is passionate about training and mentoring the next generation of singers and is proud of her studio alumni, who have gone on to become performers, educators, music therapists, audio engineers and researchers in the United States and abroad.
Quote
Singing brings me so much joy, and it is my honor and privilege to foster this same passion in my students by mentoring them in their technical and artistic development.”
– Dr. Fotina Naumenko