 In 1954 she debuted in Sverdlovsk, and was made a member of the Bolshoi Theatre in 1956.She became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1963 and was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1966.Arkhipova was at the height of her career in the 1960s and 1970s, during which time she was an international star, interpreting both Russian and Italian repertoire.