The Voronezh singer surprised the mentors of the show “The Voice” with her genre diversity. The Voronezh singer surprised the mentors of the show “The Voice Biography of Sofia Onopchenko” with her genre diversity

As a child, future participant in the show “The Voice” Sonya Onopchenko (today singer Slavyana) was not accepted into the school choir. The girl, despite all the circumstances, still continued to practice vocals on her own. “I went out into the yard and arranged concerts for neighbors upon request,” recalls Sonya. “I knew all the songs from Star Factory by heart, and could easily parody the artists.” At the age of 8, Sophia herself came to the local House of Culture “Vostok”, where she began to study in the folk group “Gornitsa”. “Before that, I did taekwondo, swimming, gymnastics (I can still easily do a bridge and everything like that),” the girl continues. “I always wanted to get on stage.” Sonya was raised in an ordinary working-class family; no one forced the girl to do anything specific. “I myself signed up for various clubs,” recalls Sophia. “I thought out costumes, rehearsed vocal numbers at home.” Even at the age of 8, Sonya sewed a kokoshnik for performances without help.

At the age of 12, the girl decided to study solo; again, none of the Voronezh teachers agreed to take Sonya as a student. “Then I came to our director of the House of Culture, Olga Nikolaevna Kuvshinkina,” says Sonya, “and asked for individual vocal lessons. Olga Nikolaevna is a professional music teacher.” In just a few months, together with her new teacher, Onopchenko achieved her first serious results - first place in an international competition. “Sonya is a gifted girl,” says Olga Nikolaevna. – It is impossible to conquer the big stage without daily rehearsals. It’s my fault that I deprived her of everything: friends, parties. Sonya does not live an ordinary youth life. It's cruel! “I decided to turn my life around for the sake of this girl, but I also demanded a lot from her.” Since the age of 13, Sofya Onopchenko has not missed a single major music competition. And everywhere it takes only first places. At the age of 16, at the Slavic Bazaar, Lev Leshchenko said that Sonya was waiting for a professional stage, and suggested that she think about a creative pseudonym. This is how the singer Slavyana arose.

In between competitions and concerts, Slavyana graduated from the Voronezh Music College named after. Rostropovich (class of “folk choir conductor”), immediately entered GITIS for the correspondence department (budget). In parallel with her studies and performances, Slavyan organized a vocal and stage studio in her native Voronezh. “Today I have more than 15 students,” Sophia says proudly. – Average age – 12 years. Lessons with each child last about 2 hours. When I’m on set or traveling, I’m constantly in touch with my students and supervise their homework musical assignments.”

Slavyana was also persuaded by her students to participate in the Voice-6 project. “The children often repeated to me: “Sonya, everyone there will turn to you,” the young teacher smiles. “We discussed everything with Olga Nikolaevna, who has now become not just a teacher, but a creative mother and producer, and sent an application.” Sonya passed the casting without much difficulty and was invited to blind auditions. For the competition, Slavyana chose Anna German’s song “I Love You.” “I like the Soviet stage,” says Sonya. – I grew up listening to the songs of Anna German, Valentina Tolkunova, Tamara Miansarova, Maya Kristalinskaya. During the blind auditions, she focused specifically on the deep content of the song, and not on showing off her vocal abilities. She just sang purely, without any manners. The jury members noted this and thanked us for the vocal culture.”

Two mentors turned to Sonya at once - Pelageya and Gradsky. The girl chose Alexander Borisovich. “As soon as this project began, I immediately thought that if I participate, I must get into Gradsky’s team,” recalls Sonya. - That’s what happened! I am very happy!" Sonya has already managed to communicate with her mentor. Alexander Borisovich was pleased with Slavyana’s vocal abilities. The girl’s repertoire includes not only Russian folk and pop songs. Slavyana easily performs jazz compositions.

Voronezh 21-year-old singer Sofya Onopchenko passed the “blind auditions” in the TV show “Voice-6”. The program was shown on Channel One on Friday, October 13. Two mentors turned to the participant at once: Alexander Gradsky and Pelageya. The girl made a choice in favor of Gradsky’s team.

In the final episode of the “blind auditions” competition, Sofya Onopchenko performed the song “I Love You” by Anna German. This composition was not previously featured on “The Voice”. By the time Sofia Onopchenko appeared on stage, Dima Bilan had already formed his team, so only the three remaining mentors could choose the girl.

Alexander Gradsky listened very carefully to the performance of the Voronezh participant and waited for the contestant to open up vocally on high notes. Hearing the required note, Gradsky immediately pressed the red button. Pelageya then turned to the girl.

“You know, you have such a culture of sound for 21 years,” Pelageya praised the Voronezh participant. – Where did you study?

Sophia said that she graduated from the Voronezh Rostropovich College of Music, with a specialty in folk choir performance.

Pelageya asked the girl to sing a fragment of a folk song in order to find out her style of performance in a folklore vein.

Sofia Onopchenko sang “The Pockmarked Cuckoo” a cappella in her original arrangement, which impressed not only the populist Pelageya, but also Alexander Gradsky. The master smiled and laughed contentedly when the girl cuckooed in the chorus, imitating a bird.

- Oh, how beautiful! – Pelageya noted several times during the performance. – It’s a very cultured, but not smoothed-out sound – your inner culture can be heard in it. You sang the romance very beautifully and you sing folk songs very beautifully.

Pelageya was ready to continue showering the singer with compliments, but Alexander Gradsky interrupted her mid-sentence. The mentor wanted to listen to how Sofya Onopchenko would cope with another vocal genre. Gradsky himself chose the composition - Whitney Houston's Run To You.

A few lines performed by Sophia were enough for the master to make sure that he made the right decision.

- Good, good, it’s in the next round, if you come to me. In general, everything is possible! Choose a mentor. Otherwise it turns into a showdown between Pelageya and me! – Alexander Gradsky joked.

Despite her love for Pelageya’s work, the Voronezh participant chose Alexander Gradsky as her mentor.

– Thank you very much, Pelageya! I learned from your songs, I love them very much. My students - these little children - sing all your songs and also love them very much. Thank you for your creativity. I am very happy that you chose me. But once upon a time I imagined: maybe someday I’ll get on this show and, if everyone suddenly turns to me, I’ll definitely go to Alexander Borisovich Gradsky,” explained Sofya Onopchenko.

Sofya Onopchenko is known in Voronezh under the stage name Slavyana. Sofia began studying vocals at the age of nine in the folk group “Gornitsa” at the Somov House of Culture “Vostok”. At the age of 12, the girl decided to pursue a solo career and began taking vocal lessons from the director of the cultural center, Olga Kuvshinkina. At the age of 16, Sofia performed at the Slavic Bazaar, where Lev Leshchenko noticed the talented performer and suggested that the girl come up with a creative pseudonym. This is how the singer Slavyana arose. Sofia graduated as an external student from the Rostropovich Voronezh Music College in the class of “folk choir conductor” and immediately entered GITIS for the correspondence department. In parallel with her studies and performances, she organized a vocal and stage studio in Voronezh. Sophia was persuaded by her students to participate in the “Voice” show. Sofia Onopchenko is a multiple winner and laureate of international and all-Russian singing competitions. In 2013, for the first time in the history of the Delphic Youth Games, she won two golds at once in the Russian and international rounds in the category

Russian folk singer. Participant in the show “The Voice on Channel One”.

Biography of Sofia Onopchenko

Sofia Onopchenko, performing under a creative pseudonym Slav, born and raised in Voronezh. She began to study music early, at the age of 9 she began attending classes at the Vostok cultural center. Olga Kuvshinkina became her mentor. In addition, she received her professional education at the Voronezh Rostropovich Music College. She is a student at GITIS.

In 2012, Sophia took the pseudonym Slavyana, which ideally suited both the singer’s repertoire of folk songs and her image. In the same year, her first video was released and she took part in the music festival " Slavic Marketplace».

In 2013, the singer became the winner of the Russian and international stages of the Delphic Games in the “Folk Vocal” category. In addition, Sophia became the winner of the Romansiada competition in Moscow.

Sophia's first album, “Cuckoo,” was released in 2014.

In addition to folk songs, Onopchenko loves to perform jazz compositions and romances.

The creative path of Sofia Onopchenko

In 2017, Sophia took part in blind auditions for the sixth season of the show “The Voice on Channel One”. She performed the song of the famous Polish and Soviet singer Anna German “