soprano

Sonya Yoncheva

December 25, 1981 - Plovdiv, Bulgaria

© Nathalie Gabay

About

Following a series of spectacular debuts at the world's leading opera houses, soprano Sonya Yoncheva has been heralded as one of the most acclaimed and exciting performers of her generation.

She has become a permanent fixture on the most important stages of the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Bayerische Staatsoper, Berlin State Opera, Wiener Staatsoper and the Opéra de Paris. Her spectacular portrayals of iconic roles have received tremendous acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Of her performances in La traviata at the Staatsoper Berlin, Die Welt proclaimed: "She is the finest Violetta since Maria Callas. The Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva is possibly the best Traviata in the world at present. "

Sonya Yoncheva’s wide-ranging repertoire includes jewels of the Baroque canon as well as works by Mozart, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, and Puccini. Celebrated for her distinctly beautiful voice and exceptional dramatic presence, Sonya is equally at home on the concert and recital stage, having performed to critical acclaim in several cities including Dresden, Baden-Baden, Verbier, and Prague.

The 2016–2017 season’s engagements include Bellini’s Norma and Antonia in Les Contes d'Hoffmann at Royal Opera House, Tatiana in Eugene Onegin at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Mimí at Teatro alla Scala, and a Baroque concert tour. Ms. Yoncheva also returns to The Metropolitan Opera as Violetta in La traviata, and is a featured artist at the Met’s Gala Concert celebrating its 50th Anniversary at Lincoln Center. Sonya will sing the role of Vitellia in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden and embarks on a concert tour featuring Baroque repertoire which is highlighted on a Sony Classical album release.

Born in 1981 in Bulgaria, Sonya Yoncheva graduated in piano and voice in her hometown Plovdiv in the class of Nelly Koitcheva and obtained her master's degree in classical singing at the Conservatory of Geneva. Sonya Yoncheva is the winner of several renowned competitions. In 2010, she won Plácido Domingo's famous "Operalia"-competition and received the Special Prize CulturArte. The soprano was also awarded with the Special Prize of Les Amis du Festival for her performance of Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte at the Academy of Aix en Provence Festival in 2007, as well as with several scholarships provided by Swiss Foundations such as "Mosetti" and "Hablitzel". Sonya Yoncheva also is a first prize winner of numerous competitions in her home country Bulgaria: "Competition for German and Austrian classical Music" in 2001, "Competition for Bulgarian classical music" in 2000 and "Young Talents" in 2000. Sonya Yoncheva and her brother Marin Yonchev became the Singers of the Year in the 2000 edition of the competition "Hit-1", produced by the Bulgarian National Television. Sonya Yoncheva has collaborated with artists such as Sting and Elvis Costello and retains a keen interest in film music, working in particular with famed composer Vladimir Cosma. Sonya Yoncheva records exclusively for Sony Classical, her debut recording is slated for release in early 2015. She is a Rolex Ambassador.


Click here to discover Sonya Yoncheva Handel.

And click here to discover The Verdi Album.

Source: sonyayoncheva.com