Novikova's recent appearances include the role of Micaela in Cologne and Violetta in a new production of La Traviata at Volkstheater Rostock. She has furthermore made her debut at Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon with the role of Musetta. After making her debut as Violetta at the National Theatre in Prague she reprised the role at Theater Dortmund, at the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava and Mariinsky Theatre in Vladivostok. Before moving on to the more lyric repertoire Novikova made notable appearances in such roles as Gilda (Maggio musicale Fiorentino, Teatro Verdi Trieste, Komische Oper Berlin) and Zerbinetta (Vienna State Opera, Budapest State Opera, Aalto Theater Essen). Other highlights included the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor and Amina in La Sonnambula at Oper Bonn, Musetta in a new production of La Bohème at Grand Opera de Genève, the title role in Lakmé in Santiago de Chile, Susanna at Teatro Colon and the title role in Stravinsky's Le rossignol at the Quebec Opera Festival, in Concertgebouw Amsterdam and at the Salzburg Festival. Julia Novikova is the 1st Prize and the Audience Prize winner at OPERALIA 2009 Plácido Domingo's The World Opera Competition in Budapest. She studied opera singing at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory (prof. Olga Kondina) in her native city of St. Petersburg, and made her first stage experience during her studies, singing Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro and Marfa in The Tsar's Bride. She made her professional stage debut with Mariinsky theatre, performing Flora in The Turn of the Screw (Valery Gergiev, conductor).