Antonina Nezhdanova

Antonina Vasilievna Nezhdanova (Russian: Антонина Васильевна Нежданова, 16 June 1873[1]- 26 June 1950) was a Russian lyric-coloratura soprano. An outstanding opera singer, she represented the Russian vocal school at its best. Nezhdanova was born near Odessa. In 1899, she entered the Moscow conservatory. Upon her graduation three years later she joined the Bolshoi Theatre, rapidly becoming its leading soprano. She sang often, too, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg and also in Kiev and Odessa.