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On 26 September 2026, Sonya Yoncheva makes her role debut as Julia, the titular Vestal Virgin in Gaspare Spontini’s La Vestale, at Staatsoper Unter den Linden. Directed by Lydia Steier, the new staging is the company’s first opera premiere of the 2026/27 season and is presented as a co-production with the Opéra national de Paris. Carlo Rizzi conducts. Yoncheva is joined by David Butt Philip as Licinius, Marina Prudenskaya as the Grande Vestale, Siyabonga Maqungo as Cinna and Adrian Sâmpetrean as the Souverain Pontife. The Staatskapelle Berlin and Staatsopernchor perform. Further performances take place on 30 September and on 3, 6 and 9 October 2026; 30 April, 6 and 8 May 2027.

Premiered in Paris in 1807, La Vestale was Spontini’s greatest success and became one of the most successful operas of the nineteenth century. With its large-scale choral scenes, sophisticated orchestral writing and ballet sequences, the work paved the way for French grand opéra and influenced composers including Hector Berlioz and Richard Wagner. It also has a close historical connection to Berlin: from 1820 to 1841, Spontini served as Prussian General Music Director and conducted at the city’s Royal Opera.

At the centre of the opera is the Vestal Virgin Julia, whose love for the Roman commander Licinius brings her into a deadly conflict with the religious and political order. Lydia Steier’s production focuses on the mechanisms of an autocratic regime.

“Julia is a role I am very much looking forward to”, says Sonya. “Sadly, the work is only rarely performed nowadays. That was different in the past, and many sopranos had the role in their repertoire. La Vestale stands at the transition from the Classical era to early Romanticism, much like Médée, and the music is absolutely fascinating. The dramatic conception already points towards Wagner, while some passages are reminiscent of Gluck. What I like most about Julia is her courage and the way she stands up for her convictions. She is rebellious in the best sense of the word.”

At Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Yoncheva has previously appeared in new productions of Médée and La traviata. She has also performed Mimì in La bohème and the title roles in Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Norma, as well as appearing in a Baroque concert and presenting her recital programme Ad una stella.

More information and tickets for La Vestale:
https://www.staatsoper-berlin.de/de/veranstaltungen/la-vestale.27273/#event-153639