Bulgarian Soprano Grabs Top Opera Prize

"I already told them, win or lose, you get to go home and say you sang at La Scala," Domingo, who has just celebrated his 40th anniversary at the famed Milanese opera house, told the audience. File photo

Sonya Yoncheva, a 28-year-old Bulgarian soprano, has taken the top prize in the prestigious Operalia competition founded and conducted by the Spanish tenor Placido Domingo.

The prize is widely considered to be a launching pad into an opera career not only for the winners of the top prizes, but also for the 40 contestants who participated in the weeklong event, held this year at Milan's famed La Scala opera house.

"I already told them, win or lose, you get to go home and say you sang at La Scala," Domingo, who has just celebrated his 40th anniversary at the famed Milanese opera house, told the audience.

"I didn't believe my luck. It's the biggest dream of opera singers today," said Yoncheva, who studied music in her native Bulgaria and the Musical Conservatory in Geneva, as cited by international agencies. She has performed at New York's Lincoln Center, Barbican Hall in London and the Alte Oper in Frankfurt.

Yoncheva will take home a prize of USD 30,000.

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