Lyric soprano Lubov Karetnikova, the First Prize winner of the Debut Competition 2024, is celebrated for her powerful, warm, and silvery voice, captivating stage presence, and refined musicality.

Season, 2025/2026, Lubov Karetnikova joins the soloist ensemble at the Staatstheater Meiningen, where she returns as Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, as well as will debut as Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème, as Didone in Didone abbandonata by Domenico Sarro, Freya in Wagner’s Rheingold and other roles. She will once more return as Adina in L’elisir d’amore at Latvian National Opera.

Last season, 2024/2025, highlights include her house debut at the Frankfurt Opera House as Rosalie in Dittersdorf’s Doktor und Apotheker, as well as her debut as Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Theater Meiningen. Lubov retuned in the role of Adina in Sven-Eric Bechtolf’s production of L’elisir d’amore at the Latvian National Opera, where she debuted earlier this year. Earlier debuts include Juliette Vermont in Franz Lehár’s Der Graf von Luxemburg at the Tiroler Festspiele Erl, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte at Teatri di Pistoia, Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto at Theater Hof, Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte in Trentino Festival, and Nannetta in Verdi’s Falstaff at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic.

Lubov is an accomplished chamber music singer with a diverse art song repertoire. She collaborates with various festivals and cultural institutions and has performed with various programs at venues such as Wigmore Hall, Riga Guild Hall, Blackheads hall, the Latvian National Theatre, Dzintari Concert Hall, Flagey in Brussels, among others.

Born in the United States, raised in Switzerland and Latvia, and of Ukrainian heritage, Lubov Karetnikova brings a rich cultural background to her artistry. She honed her craft at the Latvian Music Academy, the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, and the famous Mozarteum University Salzburg, earning degrees in Opera, Lied, and Oratorio performance. Her vocal and musical development has been shaped by distinguished mentors such as Irena Milkevičiūtė, Barbara Bonney, Wolfgang Holzmair and Pauliina Tukiainen. She has further deepened her interpretive and technical insight through masterclasses with renowned artists including Tamar Rachum, Thomas Hampson, Clarry Bartha, Inga Kalna, Liene Kinča and Marek Rzepka.