The world-renowned opera singer Sonya Yoncheva sang for the first time on the stage of the Sofia Opera. She performed in one of her favourite roles, that of Mimì in Giacomo Puccini's "La bohème". Due to the huge interest, there will be a second extraordinary performance tonight. This week Sonya Yoncheva earned another great distinction – she became an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters of France for her significant contribution to the spread of French culture and art worldwide.
Mimì is one of Sonya Yoncheva's crowning roles, taking her to the most prestigious stages in the world, such as the Metropolitan Opera, where she made her debut in 2014, the Paris Opera, La Scala di Milano, Staatsoper Berlin and the Bavarian Opera in Munich. Worldwide critics have described her as "the perfect Mimì" and highlighted her rich timbre, sparkling pitches and perfect acting presence.
Sonya Yoncheva came to Sofia after a series of recitals and concerts, as well as a performance in Cherubini's "Medea" at La Scala di Milano and "Madama Butterfly" at Staatsoper Berlin.
In the spectacle of the Sofia Opera, Sonya sings under the baton of the young Bulgarian conductor Boyan Videnov, whom the audience already knows from his performance in Giuseppe Verdi's "La traviata".
"It is a huge event for me to be at the Sofia Opera and a real pleasure to sing exactly "La bohème" finally in Bulgaria," Yoncheva said at a special press conference at the Sofia Opera and Ballet on the occasion. Besides singing, she said she is a big fan of the human voice. "My career started because I fell in love with a singer's voice. This love of mine for the sound, for the timbre of the human voice, led me to the idea of doing this season, because such is missing on the Bulgarian stage," the opera singer said.
She announced that in Germany she will present a project called "The Singing Actress" with music from films of the 1930s, adding that there is also a song from Bulgarian cinema – "Shut up". Yoncheva noted that she is a great defender of Bulgarian opera art and it has always been a privilege for her to say that she is Bulgarian.
Sonya is grateful that she has had the good fortune to meet people who have given her good advice. One of those pieces of advice is that in this profession you have to learn patience. "I have never allowed myself to bully this instrument that lives in my body," she said.
It is because of her talent and character that Sonya Yoncheva is a world-famous star, a favourite of the opera critics, having made her debut with great success in all the leading opera houses of the world, where she already has performances planned for years to come.
Born in 1981 in Plovdiv, Sonya's professional path began at the Music School there. "My mother is a very strong woman, a mother-love - says Sonya Yoncheva. - From the age of 6, Sonya studied piano and sang in the Children's Kitka choir. Sonya's brother, Marin, is also an opera singer. He was the first winner of the reality show Star Academy.
One day Sonya listened to a Mozart aria on TV and tried to sing it. "Mom heard me and said, 'You're going to be an opera star. I think you have talent." She signed me up for singing lessons. I wasn't immediately hooked. I had to convince myself I was good. I wanted to love my job. And when I convinced myself I was good at it, that's when I fell in love."
She continued her studies at the Geneva Conservatory of Music. She also participated in William Christie's Academy (world baroque conductor and musicologist) for young baroque singers, Le Jardin des Voix. Her first engagements after studying in Geneva – promotions, concerts, masterclasses – came from France. In 2010, she was awarded the Cultur Arte Special Prize at the world's most famous opera competition, Operalia, organized and conducted by Plácido Domingo at Teatro La Scala di Milano. At the beginning Domingo was not at all enchanted by the repertoire with which she appeared at the Operalia competition for young opera singers. But his wife Marta and other members of the committee, who knew Yoncheva from before, made him listen to her voice.
Impressed, the famous tenor invited her to sing at his 70th birthday concert. The two performed in the spectacular show at Covent Garden for the opening of the 2012 London Olympics. In recent years Sonya Yoncheva has been successful on the world stage, but every year she also performs in Bulgaria.
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The Order of Arts and Letters, which was awarded to Sonya Yoncheva, is the highest state award of France, established on 2 May 1957 at the idea of the then Minister of Culture André Malraux during the presidency of General Charles de Gaulle. It is awarded to artists who have distinguished themselves by their works in the field of art or literature, or by their contribution to the influence of the arts and literature and the preservation of cultural heritage in France and throughout the world. Other Bulgarians who have been awarded the Order of Arts and Culture include Raina Kabaivanska, Ruslan Raichev Daniela Dimova, as well as international stars such as Jeanne Moreau, Elton John, Sharon Stone, Marion Cotillard, Tim Burton, Faye Dunaway and others.