Mikhail Kolelishvili was born in Moscow. He graduated from the vocals faculty Tbilisi State Saradzhishvili Conservatoire in 2001. As a soloist with the Paliashvili Opera and Ballet Theatre in Tbilisi from 1997, he performed the roles of the Commendatore (Don Giovanni), Don Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia) and Filippo II and the Inquisitore (Don Carlo). In 2005, he was a finalist in the BBC Cardiff Singers of the World International Competition.
Soloist with the Mariinsky Academy of Young Singers from 2002.
Soloist with the Mariinsky Opera Company since 2009.
Repertoire at the Mariinsky Theatre:
Farlaf (Ruslan and Lyudmila)
Statue of the Commander (The Stone Guest)
Konchak (Prince Igor)
Ivan Khovansky (Khovanshchina)
Head of the Village (May Night)
Grandfather Frost (The Snow Maiden)
Tsar Saltan (The Tale of Tsar Saltan)
Afanasy Vyazemsky (The Maid of Pskov)
Malyuta Skuratov (The Tsar’s Bride)
Varlaam (Boris Godunov)
Chub (Christmas Eve)
Storm-Bogatyr (Kashchey the Immortal in concert)
Bedyai (The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia)
Mamyrov (The Enchantress)
Orlik (Mazepa)
Old Gypsy (Aleko)
Bonze (Le Rossignol)
Mendoza (Betrothal in a Monastery)
Teiresias (Oedipus Rex)
The Inquisitor (The Fiery Angel)
Balaga the Coachman, Marshal Davoût (War and Peace)
Don Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia)
Don Prudenzio (Il viaggio a Reims)
The High Priest of Baal (Nabucco)
Sparafucile (Rigoletto)
Tom (Un ballo in maschera)
The King of Egypt (Aida)
Monk and Grand Inquisitor (Don Carlo)
Herald (Otello)
Bonze (Madama Butterfly)
Simone (Gianni Schicchi)
Zuniga (Carmen)
Nourabad (Les Pêcheurs de perles)
Bartolo (Le nozze di Figaro)
Leporello and the Commendatore (Don Giovanni)
Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte)
Theseus (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
Don Quichotte (Don Quichotte)
The singer’s repertoire also includes the roles of Grandfather Frost (The Snow Maiden), the King of the Sea (Sadko), General (The Gambler), Mendoza (The Duenna), Mephistopheles (Faust), and Fafner (Das Rheingold).
With the Mariinsky Opera Company, Mikhail Kolelishvili has taken part in the Moscow Easter Festival and the Stars of the White Nights International Arts Festival (St Petersburg); he has also toured to Paris, Baden-Baden and Mikkeli.
