Sonya Yoncheva

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Sonya Yoncheva
Соня Йончева
Yoncheva in 2019
Born (1981-12-25) 25 December 1981 (age 42)
Plovdiv, Bulgaria
OccupationOperatic soprano
Years active2007–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2014)​
RelativesMarin Yonchev (brother)
Websitewww.sonyayoncheva.com

Sonya Yoncheva (Bulgarian: Соня Йончева; born 25 December 1981) is a Bulgarian operatic soprano, producer and founder of SY11 Productions company.

Early life

Yoncheva was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. She studied piano and voice at the National School for Music and Dance in Plovdiv. During her teenage years, she hosted a Bulgarian television show about music.[1] She won several music competitions in Bulgaria in 2000 and 2001, including a joint win with her brother as "Singers of the Year 2000" in the "Hit-1" competition organised and produced by Bulgarian National Television.

She took advanced studies in classical singing with Danielle Borst at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève and obtained the master's degree in 2009.[2]

Career

Yoncheva was an invited participant in William Christie's "Jardin des Voix" academy for young singers in 2007.[3] She has continued work in the baroque repertoire with Christie, and also with Emmanuelle Haïm.

Yoncheva was the female first-place winner of the 2010 Operalia competition and the special CulturArte prize.[4][5] In May 2011, she portrayed Cleopatra in a co-production of Giulio Cesare by the Atelier lyrique de Tourcoing [fr] and Opéra de Reims [fr],[6] performances of which also took place at the Royal Opera of Versailles.[7] In June she performed in L'elisir d'amore as Adina as part of Festival Nuits Musicales Sainte Victoire in Peynier.[8][9]

Her debut at the

Les contes d'Hoffmann in November of the same year.[13]

In June 2017 she made her debut at the

Teatro alla Scala in June 2018, the first production of the piece after a legendary 1958 staging with Maria Callas as Imogene the press proclaimed that her performance would "surely see Yoncheva enter La Scala's hall of fame alongside Callas".[14][17] In summer 2018 Yoncheva sang the role of Poppea in L'incoronazione di Poppea at the Salzburg Festival
.

Yoncheva began the 2018/19 season performing the title role of

Staatsoper Berlin
.

In the spring of 2019, Sonya Yoncheva announced that she was expecting her second child in the coming fall

Teatro alla Scala (but she actually sang Fedora at Scala in 2022).[19]

In spring 2020, Yoncheva returned to the stage after the first European lockdown as the soprano soloist of

Arena di Verona
, in Lucca and Caserta.

In summer 2020, Sonya Yoncheva and

Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin in September, featuring 14 singers and instrumentalists.[20]
[21]

Engagements until the end of 2020 included solo concerts to open the season of the Würth Philharmoniker and the

Teatro alla Scala and a Christmas concert hosted by the German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier and telecast by ZDF.[19]

Sonya Yoncheva began the year 2021 starring in the

Teatro alla Scala
.

In January 2022, Sonya Yoncheva joined the very select rank of opera stars to have appeared in Recital at the

Gran Teatre del Liceu, at the Berliner Philharmonie, in Liverpool, Tokyo, Munich, Peralada, Versailles, Lyon and Munich.[25]

The beginning of 2023 was marked by two title roles at the

Bayerische Staatsoper as Madama Butterfly. Concerts and recitals led her to Montréal, Sofia, Düsseldorf, Salzburg, Baden-Baden, Varna, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Bordeaux, Katowice, Berlin and Liverpool.[27]

SY11

In June 2020, Yoncheva announced the creation of her company SY11 at a gala concert organised by the company for August at the Roman Theatre of Plovdiv.[28] This opening gala concert was followed by an important open air concert at the Alexander Nevsky Square in Sofia in 2021 starring Sonya Yoncheva and Plácido Domingo which was also live video streamed.[29] Remaining an exclusive Sony Classical recording artist, Sonya Yoncheva and SY11 created an own record label in 2023, SY11 Productions, where the soprano released her latest album The Courtesan in February 2023.[30] On SY11 Productions, Sonya Yoncheva also released her first book Fifteen Mirrors in 2023. Written by Alain Duault, Sonya Yoncheva speaks about 15 of her most important roles, accompanied with photos by Victor Santiago.[31] The book is available in English, German, Bulgarian.[32] In June 2023, Sonya Yoncheva and SY11 announced a recital series at the Bulgaria Hall of Sofia. The first season features singers such as Freddie De Tommaso, Jakub Józef Orliński, Fatma Said, Elsa Dreisig, Clémentine Margaine and Yoncheva herself.[33]

Awards and honors

Yoncheva is a Rolex artist

Opus Klassik
as "Singer of the Year" for her solo album "Rebirth". In 2023, Sonya Yoncheva received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the Academy of Music, Dance and Visual Arts of her native town of Plovdiv.[37] She won a Young Artist of the Year award (Nachwuchskünstler/-in des Jahres) in 2015
Opera News Awards.[40] She was presented Award of the Year from the Círculo Críticos de Arte de Chile for her recital at the Teatro del Lago.[41]
Since November 2021, Sonya Yoncheva is a UNICEF Ambassador for Bulgaria, standing up for the rights of children.[42]

Personal life

Yoncheva married Venezuelan conductor

Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. The couple have a son, Mateo, born 6 October 2014.[1] In October 2019, their daughter Sophia was born.[15][44]
Her younger brother Marin Yonchev is a former rock singer, who became an opera singer in 2010. [15][45]

Discography

Yoncheva is featured on commercial audio recordings on the

Sony Classical[3] and has released several solo CDs including:[47]

On video she appears in DVD releases of

Opus Arte.[51]
On DVD/Blu-Ray, she can also be seen on recordings of
Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Iolanta from Paris Opera, Siberia from the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda and in the ZDF Adventskonzert 2015 from Dresden.[52]

Documentary
  • Sonya Yoncheva: Gala in Sofia (2024). directed by Ema Konstantinova. Premiered at the Master of Art Festival in Sofia on 2 March 2024.[54]

References

  1. ^ a b Michael Cooper (2014-11-27). "A Last-Minute Sensation". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-12-26.
  2. ^ "Sonya Yoncheva". Schmopera. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
  3. ^ a b Martin Cullingford (2013-11-15). "Soprano Sonya Yoncheva signs to Sony Classical". Gramophone. Retrieved 2014-12-26.
  4. ^ "Bulgarian soprano and Romanian tenor triumph in Operalia". Gramophone. 2010-05-04. Retrieved 2014-12-26.
  5. ^ "CulturArte prize".
  6. ^ "Jules César en Egypte" (PDF). Musicaviva.free.fr. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
  7. ^ Langlois, Frank (2011-05-22). "Christophe Dumaux, nouveau Jules César". ResMusica (Review).
  8. ^ "Les Nuits Musicales Sainte Victoire – 6ème édition 2011". Peynier.net (in French). 2011-04-04. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
  9. ^ Borodine, Clémence (2011-06-26). "" Elixir d'amour " enchanteur des spectateurs". RMTnews International (in French). Retrieved 2019-09-14.
  10. ^ Tommasini, Anthony (2013-12-07). "Musical Chairs at the Met". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-12-26.
  11. ^ "Sonya Yoncheva, soprano". Operabase. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  12. ^ F. Paul Driscoll (December 2015). "Otello – 21 September 2015 review". Opera News. Archived from the original on 28 June 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  13. ^ Valencia, Mark (2016-11-08). "Review: Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Royal Opera House)". WhatsOnStage.com.
  14. ^ a b Mattioli, Alberto (2017-06-14). "Cantare Bohème alla Scala non è roba vecchia, è storia". La Stampa. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  15. ^ a b c "Sonya Yoncheva / Calendar". sonyayoncheva.com. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  16. ^ "Sonya Yoncheva to Replace Kristine Opolais in Premiere Performances of Metropolitan Opera's New Tosca". Opera News. 2017-06-16. Archived from the original on 2017-06-16. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
  17. ^ Imam, James (2018-07-02). "Sonya Yoncheva triumphs in Il pirata at La Scala". Bachtrack.
  18. ^ "Sonya Yoncheva Cancels Forthcoming Stage Performances Due to Second Pregnancy". Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  19. ^ a b Website Sonya Yoncheva, retrieved 2021-02-08
  20. ^ Website Rolex, retrieved 2021-02-08
  21. ^ EuronNews clip and interview, retrieved 2021-02-08
  22. ^ The New York Times: A Day of Divas, retrieved 2023-12-07
  23. ^ Financial Times: The Metropolitan Opera’s Don Carlos — a grim production with fine singing, retrieved 2023-12-07
  24. ^ Website Sonya Yoncheva, retrieved 2023-12-07
  25. ^ Calendar website Sonya Yoncheva (Past Events), retrieved 2021-09-05
  26. ^ Associated Press: At top of opera, Yoncheva worries about classical music, retrieved 2023-12-07
  27. ^ Calendar website Sonya Yoncheva (Past Events), retrieved 2021-09-05
  28. ^ OperaWire article, retrieved 2021-02-08
  29. ^ EuronNews clip and interview, retrieved 2023-12-09
  30. ^ Francisco Salazar (2022-12-14). "Sonya Yoncheva Announces Fifth Album on Her New Label – article". Operawire. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  31. ^ Salazar, Francisco (2023-04-01). "Sonya Yoncheva Releases Her First Book". Opera Wire.
  32. ^ "Store". sy11events.com. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  33. ^ Salazar, David (2023-06-10). "Sonya Yoncheva's SY11 Productions Announces Starry 2023-24 'Intimate Voices' Concert Series". Opera Wire.
  34. ^ "Rolex and Sonya Yoncheva". Rolex. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  35. ^ medici.tv [@medicitv] (April 11, 2017). "One week to go before the Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva's first concert as medici.tv artist of the year!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  36. ^ International Opera Awards 2019 - The Winners!, retrieved 2019-08-03
  37. ^ "Facebook post". Facebook. 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  38. ^ BVMI; KIZ. "ECHO Klassik 2015: Die Preisträger stehen fest". Neue Musikzeitung (in German).
  39. ^ "Министър Вежди Рашидов поздрави новите носители на висши държавни отличия" [Minister Vezhdi Rashidov welcomes the new holders of high state awards] (Press release) (in Bulgarian). Minister of Culture (Bulgaria). 2016-05-25.
  40. ^ "2018 OPERA NEWS Awards to Honor William Christie, Fiorenza Cossotto, Vittorio Grigolo, Hei-Kyung Hong and Sonya Yoncheva". Opera News. 2017-11-01. Archived from the original on 2021-01-31. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  41. ^ "Círculo Críticos de Arte - Premiación de lo mejor de 2018". Círculo Críticos de Arte. 2019-01-15. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  42. ^ "Sonya Yoncheva becomes UNICEF's national ambassador in Bulgaria". UNICEF. 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  43. ^ "Already ten days since we have celebrated our marriage…". Facebook. 2014-08-04.
  44. ^ "Carnet rose : Sonya Yoncheva de nouveau Maman". Forumopéra. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
  45. Eventim. Archived from the original
    on 2018-02-27. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  46. ^ Nicholas Kenyon (2012-04-21). "Rameau, Lully, Purcell, Handel: Une fête Baroque! – review". The Observer. Retrieved 2014-12-26.
  47. ^ a b "Sonya Yoncheva - Recordings". sonyayoncheva.com. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  48. ^ Irurzun, José M (21 April 2009). "Review of DVD of Monteverdi, Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria". Seen and Heard International.
  49. ^ Pryer, Anthony (20 January 2012). "Review of DVD of Monteverdi: Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria". BBC Music Magazine.
  50. ^ Otello (2015) at Met Opera on Demand.
  51. ^ Fisher, Neil. "Bellini Norma (Pappano)". Gramophone. MA Music, Leisure and Travel. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  52. ^ "Website Sonya Yoncheva (Recordings)". SonyaYoncheva.comaccess-date=05 September 2021.
  53. ^ Salazar, Francisco (2018-11-17). "Sonya Yoncheva's Documentary To Premiere In Bulgaria". Opera Wire.
  54. ^ Petrova, Petya (2024-03-02). ""Gala in Sofia" Premieres". Bulgarian News Agency.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonya_Yoncheva&oldid=1213335958"