Elena Vassilieva is the child of a Russian father and a German-French mother and was born in France; her father had to flee from St. Petersburg in 1917. Her parents had a significant influence on her artistic development. At the age of eight, she appeared on stage as Bastienne in (Bastien und Bastienne), and by the age of 24, she was performing roles such as Zerbinetta in (Ariadne auf Naxos), Manon in (Manon), and Philine (Mignon). Her encounter with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, who provided her with instruction, was crucial for her career. Her wide-ranging repertoire included roles like Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Elettra (Idomeneo), Elisabetta in (Don Carlo), and Elisabeth (Tannhäuser). As the winner of international awards, she soon became interested in contemporary music, with a large number of composers - including Edison Denisov, Sofia Gubaidulina, György Kurtág, Nicolaus A. Huber, and Alexander Knaifel - writing works for her. She has made numerous recordings for labels such as Le Chant du Monde, Erato, ECM, and Claves, and she is a three-time winner of the Golden Tuning Fork award.