Daria Kharchenko is a Ukrainian mezzo-soprano whose artistic voice has been shaped by both musical tradition and personal resilience. Born in the seaside city of Berdyansk, her musical journey began early, when she independently enrolled in a local music school — a decision that would define her future path. She later continued her studies at the K. F. Dankevich Odesa College of Arts and Culture, where extensive choral work and stage training laid the foundation for her vocal and dramatic development.

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Her studies at the A. V. Nezhdanova Odesa National Academy of Music, where she obtained her Bachelor’s degree with honours, were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and, shortly after, by the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine. In 2022, Daria relocated to Canada, where she began rebuilding both her artistic life and vocal identity. Through her work with pianist Olena Bratishko and singing with the choir of St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in London, Ontario, she gradually returned to the stage and refined her vocal direction. Under the guidance of Professor Chad Louwerse at Western University’s Don Wright Faculty of Music, she formally transitioned into the mezzo-soprano repertoire and is currently completing her Master of Music in Vocal Performance.

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Daria’s work has been recognized through numerous awards and scholarships, including First Prize at the Maritsa Brookes Concerto Competition, First Prize at the NATS Ontario Chapter Competition, the London Opera Guild Scholarship, the Ontario–Ukraine Solidarity Scholarship, the Graduate Entrance Scholarship at Western University, and the Scholarship of the President of Ukraine.

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In 2025, Daria made her operatic debut as Prince Orlofsky

(Die Fledermaus) at the Berlin Opera Academy, where she

also covered Le Prince Charmant (Cendrillon). Her operatic

appearances at Western University Opera include

Second Boy (Die Zauberflöte) and selections from Carmen,

performing the roles of Mercédès and Carmen in Opera gala

performances. In 2026, she will appear as Mrs. Lovett 

(Sweeney Todd). She has further developed her artistry

through training programs including the Berlin Opera

Academy, NUOVA Vocal Arts, and collaborations with

the London Art Song Collective.

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Alongside opera, Daria is deeply committed to concert and

recital work. She has appeared as an alto soloist in

Handel’s Messiah with the London Pro Musica Choir and

regularly collaborates in art song and chamber music projects.

Her recital programs often explore themes of displacement,

memory, and belonging. Her solo recital Wanderer, presented at von Kuster Hall at Western University, featured music by Duparc, Silvestrov, Wolf, and Dvořák, reflecting on the search for home and the passage of time. Her first Canadian solo recital, Colours of the Night, presented at Aeolian Hall in London, Ontario, and created in collaboration with pianist Clark Bryan, explored the emotional contrasts of human experience through art song.

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In addition to her solo work, Daria remains actively engaged in choral and community music-making. She is a regular member of the choir at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in London, Ontario, where she also serves as a cantor.

 

Current projects include the preparation of Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death with orchestra, a work that resonates deeply with her artistic philosophy. For Daria, music is a space where memory, pain, resilience, and hope coexist — a means of transforming personal and collective experience into shared artistic expression.