Thanks to the collaboration between the Embassy of Italy in Bulgaria, the Italian Cultural Institute in Sofia and the production company SY 11 Events, the famous tenor Vittorio Grigolo performed on 28 August as part of the “Gala in Sofia” 2025, which was organised with the support of the Municipality of Sofia. The musical accompaniment was provided by the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Maestro Nayden Todorov. This was Grigolo’s first performance in front of a Bulgarian audience, who gave the Italian tenor a warm welcome.
After performing at the Arena di Verona, the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo, Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo and Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva confirmed their artistic rapport on stage in Sofia’s central Aleksandr Nevsky Square, performing love duets, opera arias (Verdi, Puccini) and other light music pieces loved by different generations (with works by Nino Rota, Massimo Ranieri and Lucio Dalla).
Vittorio Grigolo is one of the most important tenors on the opera scene, with a career studded with unforgettable artistic encounters: at just 13 years of age, he played the role of the shepherd in Tosca at the Rome Opera alongside the great Luciano Pavarotti, who became his mentor. At 23 he was the youngest tenor to open the season at La Scala in Milan under the baton of Maestro Riccardo Muti. In 2010, he made his international debut in La Bohème and became the new star of the Metropolitan Opera. He has given numerous recitals and concerts, including a concert in Paris under the Eiffel Tower in front of 800,000 people alongside Sonya Yoncheva.
Sonya Yoncheva was born in the city of Plovdiv. She began singing at the age of 6 and graduated in piano and singing in her hometown. She went on to obtain a master’s degree in classical singing at the Geneva Conservatory, where she studied with Danielle Borst, while William Christie discovered her talent for Baroque music. As a student, she was a member of the Geneva Opera choir. In 2010, she won first prize and the CultureArte prize at the Operalia competition. Her talent has conquered the greatest opera stages: the Metropolitan, La Scala in Milan, Covent Garden, the Arena di Verona and others.
Before the concert, tenor Grigolo and soprano Yoncheva were guests of honour at a reception organised by the Italian Ambassador to Sofia, H.E. Marcello Apicella, at the historic Italian Ambassador’s Residence in Sofia.
