Ritova Anna Davidovna (Khaya Davidovna; née Mogilnikova; stage name Arbenina) (1915 — 2006) — singer, lyric soprano.

From 1937 to 1941 Anna Ritova studied vocal performance at the Latvian State Conservatory (LGC) in the class of E. Zhebranskaya. Her studies were interrupted by the Second World War. In 1945 she resumed her studies and graduated from the conservatory in 1949 under M. Bolotova.

From 1946 she worked as a vocal demonstrator (illustrator) in the accompanists’ class of the Latvian State Conservatory with teachers G. Braun, E. Vasilieva, D. Gertsbakh, and J. Putniņš.

Between 1949 and 1955 she was a soloist of the Latvian Philharmonic, performing works from the classical vocal repertoire. She also presented programs of Jewish folk songs, prepared together with a former actor of the Jewish Theatre, Eynes. In 1955 she performed at the Latvian Opera Theatre, singing the role of Nedda in Leoncavallo’s opera Pagliacci.

From 1956 she worked as a vocal demonstrator in the accompanists’ class at the Jāzeps Mediņš Music School. This work was difficult and did not bring her moral satisfaction.

In 1971 she moved to Israel, where she performed under her own name, Khaya Ritova. She gave numerous concerts and appeared in chamber and symphonic programs, including performances with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, in various Israeli cities such as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Holon, and Hadera.

Anna Ritova possessed a voice of beautiful timbre and had a broad repertoire, including Russian songs and romances, songs in Hebrew and Yiddish, and arias from European and Russian operas. She also performed works by Israeli composers, including I. Edel, S. Feigina, Rappoport, and M. Zeir.

Alongside her concert career, she was active in public and cultural work. She headed the music society “Negunot,” whose aim was to help artists arriving in Israel find employment and integrate into the country’s musical life. She led the society for 21 years.