Mariia Zankovetska was born on August 4, 1854 in the Adasovsky noble family in a family estate in the village Zanki, Nizhyn district. Father Konstantin held the position of judge of Nizhyn district court. Mother Mary Adasovskaya came from the ancient Russian family of the Nefedievs from Chernihiv. Maria's father had a wonderful voice, a juicy baritone, and Mary a strong mezzo-soprano. The two of them often arranged family concerts for their guests at Zanki.
At the age of ten, Maria began her studies at a private boarding house in Osovskaya in Chernihiv. From a young age, Maria performed in amateur performances and concerts; she was very fond of improvising. The first role of the orphan girl from the fairy tale “Donna Kascheya” was given to her by Leonid Hlibov, the famous biker who then headed the dramatic circle of the Chernihiv boarding house. The girl makes the first steps on the amateur stage in Nizhyn, debuts in "Natalka Poltava" by I. Kotlyarevsky. Maria impressed everyone with her particular artistry. The beauty of the mother tongue and the magic of the word were revealed to her by the teacher of the Chernihiv Gymnasium, poet, friend of T. Shevchenko Mykola Verbitsky. The singer received her professional education at the Helsinki branch of the St. Petersburg Conservatory; she got acting lessons from the "father of Ukrainian theater" - actor, director, playwright Mark Kropyvnytskyi.
Became a star of the first magnitude and earning worldwide recognition, Maria Zankovetska never avoided or forgot her native lands, having done much for the formation and development of the theatrical art of Chernihiv.
