Udalov's mother was a well-known medical doctor, and so as to please his parents, he studied dental medicine, and
worked as a dentist for a few years.
But his true dream had always been to be a singer. First, he sang in an amateur pop ensemble, then he enrolled into the school of
music in Chişinău, and graduated in 1978.
For the next seven years, he and his wife – soprano Irina Udalova – were the leading singers of the opera house in
Aşgabat (Turkmenistan). From 1985 to 1988, he was back in Chişinău, as a soloist at the opera and as a teacher at
the conservatory.
In 1988, he became a chorister at the Bolshoj, singing also the occasional small comprimario part. In 2002, he became head of the
Bolshoj choir, and in 2011, head of the entire Bolshoj opera troupe. In 2017, he retired from the Bolshoj.
As a teacher, he worked at the Gnesin from 1988 to 1998, at the GITIS from 1998 to 2002, and then again at the Gnesin.
Reference 1
Reference 2
