Born in Tashkent, mezzo-soprano Irina Dolzhenko studied singing at the Tashkent Conservatoire and privately with Rosa Jusupova. She was a prizewinner in the Glinka vocal competition and won the Spoleto Prize at the Belvedere Competition resulting in her studying in Spoleto. She went on to make a successful debut as Olga in the reconstruction of the Stanislavsky original production of YEVGENY ONEGIN at the Wiener KAMMEROPER. This led to her appearing as Cherubino LE NOZZE DI FIGARO at the Mozart Festival in Vienna. She appeared as Marina BORIS GODOUNOV in the Schaff production for the opening of the new opera house in Tel Aviv. She made her French debut singing mezzo-soprano solo in Verdi's MESSA DA REQUIEM at the Lille Festival and her Bolshoi Theatre debut as Cherubino LE NOZZE DI FIGARO. She made her first appearance at the Wexford Festival singing the role of Hanna MAY NIGHT by Rimsky-Korsakov. In 1996 she became a principal soloist with the Bolshoi Theatre Company. She returned to Tel-Aviv as Maddalena RIGOLETTO and made a successful debut at the Royal Opera Stockholm as Adalgisa NORMA and at the Deutsche Opera Berlin as Ulrica UN BALLO IN MASCHERA. In Buenos Aires she appeared with Operama as Amneris AIDA and had great success at the Savonlinna Opera Festival singing Preziosilla LA FORZA DEL DESTINO. She appeared in Dargomijsky's THE STONE GUEST with the Orchestra National de Lille.
Recently Irina Dolzhenko sang Ulrica UN BALLO IN MASCHERA at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and at Opera Kassell and appeared as Amneris AIDA at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Her Italian debut was as Morozova in Tchaikovsky's OPRICHNIK at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari. She appeared as Lel THE SNOW MAIDEN in the new production at the Bolshoi Theatre and took part in Stravinsky's LES NOCES with the Ensemble Intercontemporain under Vladimir Jurowski in Paris and Orléans. She made her Portuguese debut with the Gulbenkain Orchestra singing Taneyv's CANTATA NO. 2 and she appeared at Opéra National de Paris in WAR AND PEACE returning to Teatro Lirico di Cagliari for Enescu's OEDIPE. She also performed the role of Amneris AIDA for Macedonian Festival.