Sonya Yoncheva

The soprano Sonya Yoncheva rocketed to prominence in the mid-2010s with a series of appearances at top houses. Her background is unusual in that it has been closely associated with Baroque music; her career, as it has developed, has included that repertory, but has also encompassed traditional 19th century works. Yoncheva won several singing competitions in Bulgaria, including one in which she performed with her brother, a rock singer. She came to the attention of Western musicians after enrolling at the Geneva Conservatory, and then joining William Christie's training program in 2007. She toured with Christie's and others' productions of Baroque operas. Signed to Sony Classical in 2013, Yoncheva became a first-string replacement artist for ailing sopranos at major houses in Romantic operas. ~ James Manheim