Milana Sarukhanyan is a Bradford-based Ukrainian opera artist, session vocalist, improviser, and vocal coach whose practice bridges opera, theatre, and experimental music. Her work is distinguished by a bel canto quality of sound, multi-linguistic storytelling, and an extensive palette of extended vocal techniques developed through years of improvisational performance.

Renowned for her precision, artistic sensitivity, and creative clarity, Milana delivers work of exceptional quality from the earliest stages of collaboration. Her ability to translate complex artistic ideas into nuanced vocal expression makes recording and production processes efficient, inspired, and seamless.

Milana has appeared on international stages including Royal Festival Hall, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Palau de la Música Catalana, Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria, Teatro del Giglio, and Glazunov Concert Hall. Alongside her operatic work, she creates original experimental theatrical sound performances, including The Artist is Present 2.0: Musical Response, PERISONIK, VERBO I VODA, and KINK.

As an improviser, she has performed at leading experimental venues such as Café OTO, Salon des Amateurs, Rataplan, Hyde Park Book Club, and Wharf Chambers.

An active collaborator and recording artist, Milana’s discography includes VERBO I VODA (with lap steel guitarist John Bisset), Sidrabini 1 (with European Music Collective), The Life of an Artist (with Danielius Daubaras), and Lack of Worldview as a Tribute to Everyday Life (with Tungu). Upcoming releases include a collaboration with Leeds Improvisation Orchestra and the album SILURES with drummer Louis Berthoud.

Her album VERBO I VODA — a collection of Ukrainian deconstructed folk songs created with John Bisset — was featured on BBC Radio 3 New Music Show and described as “beguiling.” The project received generous support from Bradford Producing Hub, enabling the development of its distinctive staging, bespoke props, and a collection of traditional Namysto-inspired accessories created as part of the project’s visual and performative identity.

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