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A new tradition is set to be launched at the initiative of Sonya Yoncheva, who in recent years has also been active as a producer and publisher. The project aims to promote Bulgarian culture worldwide and to attract international stars to local audiences.

On June 23, at the Ancient Theatre of Plovdiv – the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe and the only Bulgarian European Capital of Culture to date – a glamorous awards ceremony and an elegant gala concert featuring the laureates of the inaugural “Thracian Awards for Classical Music” will take place. Sonya Yoncheva’s intention is to promote the region of Thrace as a cradle of civilization, historical memory, traditions, and future development.

“Across the world, much is known and spoken about the cultural heritage of the ancient Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians. Yet, not enough recognition is given to the Thracians – I want to change that. Some of our laureates have Thracian roots. The mythical bard Orpheus is also a prominent example for that. Plovdiv has been a hub for artists of various disciplines for centuries. I want to showcase the charisma of this special place to the world, while also giving local audiences the chance to encounter some of the brightest stars of both the national and global stage,” Yoncheva shares.

She also personally announced the laureates of the first edition of the “Thracian Classical Music Awards”:

• Debut of the Year – Ekaterine Buachidze, Georgian mezzo-soprano, winner of Operalia 2025, held for the first time in Bulgaria;
• Young Artist of the Year – Emanuil Ivanov, Bulgarian virtuoso pianist with international recognition;
• Soloist (Musician) of the Year – Pacho Flores, renowned Venezuelan trumpeter;
• Ballet Artist of the Year – Marta Petkova, Bulgarian prima ballerina with an international career, artistic director of the ballet company of the Sofia Opera and Ballet;
• Female Singer of the Year – Gabriela Georgieva, prima donna of the Sofia Opera, known for her dramatic repertoire;
• Male Singer of the Year – Jakub Józef Orliński, Polish countertenor of global acclaim, distinguished in Baroque repertoire and contemporary style;
• Director of the Year – Vera Nemirova, Bulgarian opera director with an international career, particularly renowned for her productions in Germany and across Europe;
• Composer of the Year – Dobrinka Tabakova, Bulgarian composer of international acclaim, especially recognized for her works in the UK and across Europe;
• Production of the Year Award – The Wagner Festival of the Sofia Opera, directed by Acad. Plamen Kartaloff, a unique phenomenon in Eastern Europe;
• Opera House of the Year Award – Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich;
• Lifetime Achievement Award in Classical Music – Anna Tomowa-Sintow, legendary Bulgarian opera star of global stature, on the eve of her 85th birthday.

Sonya Yoncheva herself will also take part in the ceremony and gala concert, returning to her hometown for this very special occasion.
“I established these awards to encourage young talents as well as to honor deeply respected luminaries in classical music. My goal is to build bridges between artists, projects, and institutions, as well as between the Bulgarian and the international scene. I selected the laureates based on this key factor – that they serve as a link between the traditions of our region, a cradle of ancient culture and civilization, and play an active role in promoting the arts internationally. These are artists who often redefine the canon and leave a lasting mark of their own,” Yoncheva adds.

Audiences at the gala concert will enjoy performances by all attending laureates. The program will include beloved works from the operatic and classical repertoire, as well as world premieres. The “Thracian Awards for Classical Music” are expected to become an annual event. Their first edition will mark the opening of the 13th Opera Open festival. The gala concert will be conducted by the director of State Opera Plovdiv, Maestro Dian Tchobanov, with all performances accompanied by the orchestra of the opera in „the city of the seven hills”.

“For Opera Plovdiv, it is a true honor to stand alongside Sonya Yoncheva – our fellow citizen who has conquered the world’s greatest stages. When an artist of such stature remembers their roots and invests their authority in their hometown, it is an inspiration to all of us. I believe that with this ceremony we are not only opening the 13th edition of the festival in a brilliant way, but also further establishing it as an international platform where Bulgarian and global artists meet at the highest level,” said Maestro Tchobanov.

Tickets are available through the Eventim network and at the Opera Plovdiv box office at the Boris Christoff House of Culture. Early buyers can take advantage of a special online promotion valid until the end of the Easter holidays – 30% discount on tickets for all Opera Open events, including the “Thracian Awards for Classical Music,” with promo code SPRING at the following link:
https://bit.ly/4l115pm
The full Opera Open festival program is available on the State Opera Plovdiv website.

Sonya Yoncheva partners with conductor Francesco Ivan Ciampa and the Orchestra dell’Opera Carlo Felice Genova for a new album titled ĪCŌN, the Latin word for “portrait.”
In a world where AI is becoming an increasingly tangible part of our daily lives and of the creative industries, Sonya has chosen a repertoire featuring some of the greatest bel canto masterpieces by Bellini and Donizetti to show that the authenticity of the score, the voice, and the performance will always remain inherently human.

Yoncheva invites us to look into our own image at the crossroads between the past and the future. Her message is that opera – and bel canto in particular – belongs neither solely to the era of early Romanticism nor to that of the late technological revolution. Rather, it is eternal, beyond time and space – just like the universal human emotions of love, sorrow, loss, longing, anxiety, and hope that it reflects and that have always accompanied humanity, including in times of profound social upheaval such as those we witness today.

For this new project, the Bulgarian soprano has chosen an innovative approach: each aria will first appear exclusively on Sonya Yoncheva’s YouTube channel as a video single, addressing significant themes of our time, reimagined through the legacy of the bel canto composers. These will form a series of episodes within a broader public conversation about our contemporary world, inspired by classical music. Each of the videos will be created with the assistance of artificial intelligence – though behind it stands a team of professionals – thus opening a space for dialogue between new technologies and art in a mode of coexistence rather than competition.

The first single is expected to be released next week. Follow here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheShlupy/videos

[Photo album cover: Michael Pöhn / Wiener Staatsoper]

On February 5 at the Opéra de Bordeaux, Sonya Yoncheva brings to the concert stage the intimate and poetic world of George, her celebrated album dedicated to the writer George Sand and the artistic circle that surrounded her. Conceived as a musical and literary journey, the programme weaves together songs and instrumental works by Chopin, Liszt, Pauline Viardot, Offenbach, Delibes, Tosti, and Leoncavallo, alongside spoken excerpts from Sand’s letters and from the poetry of Alfred de Musset.

Praised by critics as one of Yoncheva’s most personal projects, George blurs the boundaries between recital, salon evening, and theatrical narrative. Music and text are placed in close dialogue, creating an atmosphere of rare intimacy and emotional immediacy – a format that now finds a natural continuation in live performances.

The album has been widely acclaimed by the international press for its originality, expressive depth, and stylistic refinement. La Repubblica hailed it as “a triumph of mazurkas,” while Gramophone praised Yoncheva’s interpretation as “a fascinating achievement,” awarding the recording Editor’s Choice. Das Opernglas highlighted Sonya’s “full, finely focused, and expressive soprano voice,” ideally suited to the emotional world of George Sand.

With George, Sonya Yoncheva invites audiences into a richly textured Romantic universe – one shaped by friendship, love, literature, and music – and transforms it into a vivid, living experience on stage.

More information and tickets: https://www.opera-bordeaux.com/sonya-yoncheva-6423

[Photo: Victor Santiago / SY11]