Larisa Aleksandrovna Dolina (Russian: Лари́са Алекса́ндровна До́лина [ɫɐˈrʲisə ˈdolʲinə], née Kudelman, first married surname Mionchinskaya) (born 10 September 1951 in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, USSR) is an Azerbaijani-born prominent Russian (former Soviet) jazz and pop singer and an actress. She was awarded the Order of Honour in 2005.

Biography

Dolina was born on September 10, 1951, in Baku to an Jewish family. Her father, Aleksandr Markovich Kudelman, was a construction worker, her mother, Galina Izrailevna Kudelman (née Dolina), a seamstress. When Dolina was three, the family moved to Odessa. At six, she began attending a music school where she studied the cello.

Dolina's musical career began in 1971 in the performance group "My Odessity" (We are Odessa Natives). She then worked as lead singer for the "State Performing Orchestra of Armenia", the "State Performing Orchestra of Azerbaijan", and the performing group "Sovremennik" (Contemporary). In 1981, Dolina performed together with Weyland Rodd as part of the "Anthology of jazz vocals" tour.

In 1982, Dolina performed the hit "Tri belyh konya" (Three white horses) for the soundtrack of the film Charodei (Magicians). In 1984, she sang in the musical "Istoriya doktora Fausta" (Story of doctor Faust).

Dolina began a solo career in 1985, working with the Leningrad based composer Viktor Reznikov. She began to produce her own concert shows, including "Zatyazhnoy Pryzhok" (Long Jump), "Kontrasty" (Contrasts), "L'dinka" (Little Icicle), and "Malen'kaya Zhenschina" (Little Woman). In 1990, Dolina played the lead role in the rock opera "Giordano" opposite Valery Leontiev.

In 1991, Dolina performed in front of 20,000 people at the festival Radio Prestige in La Rochelle, France. The same year, she was awarded the prize of "Best female singer" at "Profi", a Russian national competition. In 1993, she became an Honored Artist of Russia. In 1994, she won the "Crystal dolphin" prize at the all-Russian competition in Yalta and also won the national musical award "Ovation" after being nominated in the "best female rock singer" category. In 1995, she created a new concert program called "Ya ne nravlus' sebye" (I don't like myself) and toured in Baku, Almaty, Kiev, Yerevan, Minsk, Riga, Kishinev, and Jerusalem, as well as a number of cities in Europe and the United States. In 1996, she won the "Ovation" award again, this time in the "best female pop singer" category.

Dolina appeared as an actress in the films "Barkhatniy sezon" (Velvet season), "My iz dzhaza" (We are from the jazz), "Ostrov pogibshih korabley" (Island of sunken ships), and "Suvenir dlia prokurora" (A souvenir for the prosecutor). Her songs have been featured in more than 70 live action and animated films.

In 2003, Dolina joined the political party Edinaya Rossiya (United Russia). In 2007, Dolina performed several George Gershwin compositions at the Gershwin Gala at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. In 2010, she played multiple roles, including the lead, in the musical "Lyubov and shpionazh" (Love and espionage), which was written specifically for the singer.

During 2004, Dorina performed live at the Kostya Tszyu-Sharmba Mitchell boxing rematch in Phoenix, Arizona, United States.

In February 2011, Dolina performed "Summertime" and "Wonder Where You Are" at a concert at Crocus City Hall dedicated to the songs of jazz legend Al Jarreau. Both songs were part of Dolina's new album titled "Hollywood Mood". She followed that up with a rendition of "Private Dancer" by Tina Turner at the "Novaya Volna" (New Wave) competition in July 2011. Later in the year, Dolina unveiled a new concert program titled "Sny extraverta" (Dreams of an extrovert) in Kirov. She spent much of 2012 touring with the new concert and reprising her role in the musical "Lyubov and shpionazh".

In February 2012, Dolina was tapped to perform the national anthems of both Russia and Canada at a televised hockey game in Red Square commemorating the 40-year anniversary of the 1972 hockey rivalry between the two countries. Later that year, Dolina toured the United States, giving concerts in Boston, Las Vegas, and New York.