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Sonya Yoncheva with long-awaited return in her home town Plovdiv

Photo: sonyayoncheva.com

The good news related to performances of elite Bulgarian musicians in Bulgaria keeps coming, despite the coronavirus pandemic and the political protests in this country. Let’s recall only two of them: Krasimira Stoyanova’s exciting concert which opened in June Balabanov’s House Music Days International Festival and Alexandrina Pendachanska’s huge success at Macbeth presented by State Opera - Varna. Now the fans of classical music in this country are looking forward to another big event with the participation of another Bulgarian opera diva.

On August 25 Sonya Yoncheva returns to her home town of Plovdiv for an exciting Opera Gala at the Roman Theatre in Plovdiv, built in the second Century BC. Her concert is part of the programme of the Opera Open festival. The superstar soprano has repeatedly said she was excited to sing in her home town. “I can’t wait to go for a walk in the central street and sing at the Roman Theatre- childhood memories!”, Sonya Yoncheva wrote on the social networks.

Sonya Yoncheva is a regular guest at the world’s leading opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, New York, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Bavarian, Berlin and Vienna state operas, La Scala Milan and the Paris Opera. She partners with world-famous artists such as Plácido Domingo, Sting, Jonas Kaufmann, etc. Sonya Yoncheva is the only artist in the history of Metropolitan Opera who participated at three performances in one season, each one broadcast live in 2,000 cinema theatres across the globe.

Just over a month ago, the Bulgarian soprano literally conquered the audience during her concert in front of the Eiffel Tower, dedicated to the National Holiday of France.


Later, she participated at Puccini Gala on San Martino Square in Lucca- the home town of the world famous composer Giacomo Puccini.Several days ago Sonya Yoncheva had a concert named “Renaissance” at the Salzburg Festival/Salzburger Festspiele, Salzburg, Austria. She performed pieces by Cavalli, Monteverdi, Purcell and other composers together with Cappella Mediterranea under the conductorship of Leonardo García. The audience enjoyed the wonderful performance of a beautiful Bulgarian song- “Zableialo mi agunce” orchestrated by Quito Gato.


Sonya Yoncheva is to present the Bulgarian basso Bojidar Bojkilov at the stage of the Roman Theatre in Plovdiv. At the end of June Sonya Yoncheva announced that she wanted to give chance to a young Bulgarian musician at her concert “Coming Back”. Twenty-six-year-old Bojidar was selected in competition with 50 singers. “Me and my team were absolutely seduced by his timbre, musicality and his very sure presence on stage! Congratulations to Bojidar!”, Sonya Yoncheva wrote on the social networks. The basso is to perform „Ella giammai m’amo” from Don Carlos opera by Verdi. Sonya Yoncheva’s concert programme includes music from the celebrated Italian composers Verdi, Puccini, Mascagni, etc. She will also partner with tenor Marin Yonchev, as well as with the Plovdiv State Opera, conductor Nayden Todorov.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov



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