Vladimir Chernov was born in a small village near the town of Krasnodar in southern Russia.
In 1982 the Kirov sent him to the Accademia della Scala where he studied with Giulietta Simionato.
In addition to his great success in Italian operas, he often returned to his native repertory, appearing in Eugene Onegin, The Queen of Spades, War and Peace, Mazeppa.
From March 2005, Chernov became Regents' Lecturer in the Division of Voice and Opera of the Music Department of the University of California, Los Angeles.
'He completely won over the hearts and minds of the faculty and the students,' said Ian Krouse, chair of the music department....The post...enables him to continue his international singing career while serving as a mentor to those who will follow.