Sonya Yoncheva
She has been heralded worldwide for her portrayals of iconic roles by Bellini, Cherubini, Giordano, Mascagni, Puccini, Tchaikovsky, and Verdi. The “Singer of the Year 2021” (Opus Klassik) performs on the world’s most renowned stages, including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House London, La Scala in Milan, the Bavarian, Berlin, Hamburg, and Vienna State Operas, the Paris Opera, the Salzburg Festival, and the Arena di Verona.
Solo concerts and recitals take her to major concert halls and opera houses across the globe, from Athens to Tokyo, including Barcelona, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Milan, Mexico City, Monte Carlo, New York, Paris, Santiago de Chile, São Paulo, and Vienna.
Sonya opens her 2025/26 season at the Vienna State Opera, reprising her acclaimed portrayal of Iolanta. At the Opernhaus Zürich, she returns in her iconic interpretation of Puccini’s Tosca, a role she also brings to the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. She returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Maddalena in Andrea Chénier and as the title heroine in Madama Butterfly. For the Bayerische Staatsoper, the superstar soprano takes on the title role of Norma, which she also performs at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. Sonya also makes notable debuts as the title characters in Rusalka with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Marina with the Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali in Milan.
On the concert platform, Sonya appears in recital and concert at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Auditorium Bordeaux, and the Enescu Festival.
Past highlights include numerous appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, including a recital, new productions of Tosca, Fedora, Don Carlos, and Otello, and the title roles of Norma, La Traviata, and Iolanta. At La Scala, she appeared in new productions of Fedora and Il pirata, as Maddalena in Andrea Chénier, Mimì in La Bohème, and in the 2020/21 season-opening gala. Other highlights include her role debut as Norma in a new production at the Royal Opera House London; new productions of Iolanta, Don Carlos, and La Bohème at the Paris Opera; of Iolanta at the Vienna State Opera; of Médée and La traviata at the Berlin State Opera; of Norma and Madama Butterfly at the Liceu Barcelona, and of L’incoronazione di Poppea in a new staging at the Salzburg Festival.
After completing her vocal studies in her hometown of Plovdiv and in Geneva, the Bulgarian soprano began her career as a graduate of William Christie’s Le Jardin des Voix, specializing in Baroque roles that remain a significant part of her repertoire today.
Sonya Yoncheva is also active as a producer with her company SY11. After releasing four solo albums with Sony Classical, she launched her album The Courtesan on SY11, followed in 2025 by GEORGE. Her first book, Fifteen Mirrors, was also published by SY11. In Sofia, she curates a concert series featuring some of the greatest opera stars each season in recitals and concerts.
Sonya Yoncheva was named Officière de l’ordre de Arts et des lettres in 2024. She is a brand ambassador for Rolex.