Maira Kerey was born in China, returning to her ethnic homeland of Kazakhstan in 1994. She began her musical education at the National Central University and Central Conservatory of Music in China and earned her Masters Degree from the Kurmangazy State Conservatory in Almaty.

She made her European stage debut at the Opéra National de Paris as Musetta in La Bohème with Roberto Alagna, and has since been heard as Adina in L’elisir d’amore at the Opéra National de Lorraine in Nancy, Opéra de Rennes, Théâtre de Caen, and the Opéra National in Bordeaux.

In 2005 Miss Kerey made her American debut as Anges Sorel in The Maid of Orleans with Mirella Freni at the Washington National Opera, for which her performance was reviewed by Gay City News as “Maira Kerey showed an arresting presence and a bright, incisive soprano.” and “Maira Kerey made a brilliant company debut with a sparkling, crystal voice that should merit her return here in a larger role” by The Washington Times.

Miss Kerey is the leading soprano at the Kazakh State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet, where she is frequently heard as Violetta in La Traviata, Gilda in Rigoletto, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Micaëla in Carmen, Marguerite in Faust, and Liu in Turandot. In most recent seasons she has been heard as Juliette in Roméo et Juliette at the Opéra National de Lorraine, as Norina in Don Pasquale at the Grand Théâtre de Genève and Théâtre de Caen, Musetta in La Bohème and Marguerite in Faust in Bordeaux, and was Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Toulon and Rennes, for which her performance was spotlighted by Altamusica as “On the side of the women, the seduction comes from the acutely splendid voice of the Kazakh soprano Maira Kerey.”

Miss Kerey’s concert repertoire includes Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9, Haydn’s The Seasons, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solonnelle, and Villas-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras no. 5. An avid recitalist, she has been heard in Peking, Istanbul, Seoul, Almaty, Astana, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Budapest in songs of Faure, Poulenc, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, as well as in Kazakh and Chinese folk songs. She gave orchestral recitals during the Meet in Beijing International Festival with the Symphony Orchestra of the Central Opera House at the Zhong Shan Hall, and has been twice heard in opera galas with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London’s Cadogan Hall.

One of Kazakhstan’s pre-eminent cultural ambassadors, Miss Kerey has generated an extraordinary level of critical acclaim and popularity in her ancestral home that spans recording, television, and motion pictures. She starred in the internationally acclaimed, award-winning film by Amir Karakulov, Don’t Cry. She was named an Artist of Honor in the Republic of Kazakhstan, and in 2008 was awarded the Kazakhstan State Prize, the country’s highest award in the field of arts and literature, by President Nursultan Nazarbaev.

She was also awarded The Gold Dragon in China, First Prize at the Tomaz Alcaide International Singing Competition in Portugal, and the Bronze Medal at the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.