Naoumenko was born in
Lipetsk,
Russia. After graduating from the Lipetsk College of Music, he studied at the
Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory under prolific Georgian tenor
Zurab Sotkilava, later continuing his training at the Moscow Opera Studio. He attended master classes with
Alfredo Kraus,
Renata Scotto,
Renato Capecchi,
Ernst Haefliger,
Nancy Evans and Aldo Baldin. While in
Moscow, Naoumenko sang the roles of Podholusin (
The Marriage) for the
Bolshoi Theatre, Alfredo (
La Traviata), Lensky (
Eugene Onegin) and Don Giovanni (
The Stone Guest), at the Moscow Conservatory Bolshoi Hall. In 1991 he gave his American debut at
San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House in the role of Platon Karataev
(War and Peace) conducted by
Valery Gergiev. After moving to the UK, he sang with
English National Opera in roles such as Dr Caius
(Falstaff) under
Mark Elder and Ladislav (
The Two Widows). Naoumenko then worked extensively throughout Europe, singing roles including Cavaradossi (
Tosca) with European Chamber Opera, Fenton
(Falstaff) with
English Touring Opera, Don Jose (
Carmen) at the Chelmsford Festival, Misail
(Boris Godunov) with Opera Ireland conducted by
Alexander Anisimov, Mylio
(Lalo's Le Roi d’Ys) with
University College Opera, Flute
(A Midsummer Night's Dream) and Doctor Caius
(Falstaff) for the
Aldeburgh Festival, conducted by
Steuart Bedford. In Germany he performed the role of Mozart (
Mozart and Salieri). He sang Platon Karataev
(War and Peace) and The Italian Prisoner in
Strauss's Friedenstag at the
Concertgebouw in
Amsterdam under
Edo de Waart, also broadcast for Dutch Radio. After making numerous concert and oratorio appearances in Moscow such as
Das Lied von der Erde with the Kremlin Orchestra, Mozart's
Requiem conducted by
Yuri Simonov and
Les Noces conducted by
Gennady Rozhdestvensky at Moscow's Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, he continued this abroad. Naoumenko sang Verdi's
Requiem under
David Willcocks at the
Royal Albert Hall as well as Beethoven's
Missa Solemnis and Bach's
Christmas Oratorio in Stuttgart under
Helmuth Rilling. Other parts include Mydas in Bach's Phoebus and Pan and Tchaikovsky's Ode to Joy. Naoumenko's recordings include the role of Moisei Shahkes in
Rothschild's Violin (
Fleishman/
Shostakovich) conducted by
Gennady Rozhdestvensky, recorded for
Melodiya Records. He has worked with
Chandos Records to record Complete Songs of Rachmaninov with
Howard Shelley,
Joan Rodgers, Maria Popescu and
Sergei Leiferkus. == Other work ==