Guest Artists
Learn about the distinguished musicians, conductors, and soloists who have participated in our performances.
Learn about the distinguished musicians, conductors, and soloists who have participated in our performances.
Liya Petrova is a distinguished soloist who has performed with the Orchestre de Paris, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France, the Luxembourg Philharmonic, the Brussels Philharmonic, the Staatskapelle Weimar, and many other renowned orchestras worldwide. She has collaborated with conductors such as Elim Chan, Stanislav Kochanovsky, Philippe Herreweghe, Krzysztof Penderecki, and Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider. She regularly performs chamber music with Alexandre Kantorow and other eminent musicians, including Martha Argerich, Mischa Maisky, Renaud Capuçon, and Yuja Wang. Liya is a frequent guest at prestigious festivals such as “La Folle Journée” in Nantes, the Rheingau Music Festival, and the Easter Festival in Aix-en-Provence. Since 2020, she has released three albums with the Mirare label, the latest of which, Momentum, has been highly acclaimed by BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone. Born in Sofia, Liya Petrova began her studies under Associate Professor Evelina Arabadjieva and later continued with Augustin Dumay, Antje Weithaas, and Renaud Capuçon. She currently resides in Paris and performs on the Rovelli violin (1742), crafted by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù.
Sonya Yoncheva is among the most celebrated sopranos of her generation, known for her breathtaking vocal artistry and powerful dramatic presence. Winner of the 2021 Opus Klassik Singer of the Year, she has captivated audiences on the world’s leading stages, including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Teatro alla Scala, Bayerische Staatsoper, and Wiener Staatsoper. Her extensive repertoire spans Baroque masterpieces and iconic roles in operas by Puccini, Verdi, Bellini, and Tchaikovsky. She is particularly acclaimed for her interpretations of Tosca, Norma, and Mimì (La Bohème)
José Cura is an acclaimed Argentine tenor, conductor, and composer, known for his powerful voice and dynamic stage presence. He gained international recognition for his roles in operas like Otello, Samson et Dalila, and Pagliacci. Apart from his operatic career, Cura is also a conductor, having worked with prestigious orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic. Additionally, he is a stage director and composer, contributing original works like Stabat Mater. His contributions to the arts have earned him numerous accolades, including the Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Prize.
Angel Zaberski is a Bulgarian composer, arranger, music educator, and professor at New Bulgarian University.
Svetlin Roussev performs in some of the world’s most renowned concert halls and collaborates with internationally acclaimed orchestras and conductors. Alongside his active concert career, he is a Professor of Violin at the Paris Conservatory and gives masterclasses around the globe. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the “Crystal Lyre,” “Musician of the Year,” and the Honorary Award of the President of Bulgaria.
Aida Garifullina is a regular guest artist at the most prestigious opera houses and concert halls in the world, including the Royal Opera House (London), La Scala (Milan), the Metropolitan Opera (New York), the Paris Opera, the Arena di Verona (Italy), and the Salzburg Festival.
Born in 1970 in Sofia into a family of musicians — his father, Petar Vassilev, a violinist, and his mother, Krasimira Vassileva, a pianist — Vasko Vassilev’s passion for music began at an early age. He started violin lessons at the age of five, and at seven, he performed as a soloist with the Bulgarian Chamber Orchestra at Bulgaria Hall under the baton of Dina Schneidermann. Two years later, Balkanton released his first LP with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Konstantin Iliev. At the same time, he took part in the children’s assembly Banner of Peace, made his acting debut at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre in the role of Leonardo da Vinci, and won a leading role in the children’s film Sun Over Childhood, starring alongside Nevena Kokanova. In 1980, he received a scholarship from the Bulgarian government and moved with his parents to Moscow, where he continued his education at the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory under Professor Maya Samuilovna Glezarova. In 1988, he won three of the world’s most prestigious international violin competitions — Jacques Thibaud in Paris, Carl Flesch in London, and Paganini in Italy. That same year, he relocated to London to continue his studies at the Royal College of Music. Between the ages of 19 and 21, he served as guest concertmaster of both the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. At 21, he was appointed Super Solist of the Lyon Opera in France, and at 23, he became the youngest-ever and first concertmaster of the Royal Opera House in London — a position he still holds today, also serving as Creative Producer. He has released more than sixteen albums featuring a diverse repertoire. In early 2023, he received a special invitation to serve as concertmaster of the orchestra for the coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023. In 2024, the documentary Vasko & The Violin premiered — dedicated to the life and career of Vasko Vassilev. Created by journalists Lora Krumova and Maria Yotova, with cinematography by Dobromir Ivanov, the production was officially recognized by the Bulgarian National Film Center as the most-watched and successful documentary film in Bulgaria.
Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, Nino Machaidze is among the most brilliant opera performers of our time. Her artistic career has flourished on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including the Metropolitan Opera (New York), the Bavarian State Opera (Munich), the Berlin State Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu (Barcelona), Théâtre de la Monnaie (Brussels), the Paris National Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden (London), and the Los Angeles Opera.
Born in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, he received his vocal education in his hometown under Olimpi Khelashvili. He has been a member of the local opera company there since 1986. Together with fellow artists from the former U.S.S.R., he was selected for finishing studies under Giulietta Simionato and Edoardo Mueller at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. In 1981, he emerged as the winner of the Voci Verdiane international vocal competition in Busseto, going on to win the gold medal and first prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow the following year. In 1985, he triumphed again at the International Luciano Pavarotti Competition. He proceeded to cause a major sensation at London’s Royal Opera House, where he made his debut with Ramfis/AIDA, alongside Katia Ricciarelli and Luciano Pavarotti, conducted by Zubin Mehta. From 1982 he wаs studying in Odessa with Evgeny Ivanov and after he was giving his concerts all over the world together with concertmaster Ludmila Ivanova. From that point on, Paata Burchuladze went on to conquer all the world’s major opera houses. To name just a few: Teatro all Scala (NABUCCO, AIDA, LUISA MILLER, SIMON BOCCANEGRA, MACBETH, I LOMBARDI, THE FIERY ANGEL, BORIS GODUNOV), the Vienna State Opera (LUISA MILLER, BORIS GODUNOV, KHOVANSHCHINA, NABUCCO, DON CARLO, I VESPRI SICILIANI), the Bavarian State Opera (BORIS GODUNOV, NABUCCO, MACBETH, AIDA, ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL, KHOVANSHCHINA), the Hamburg State Opera (KHOVANSHCHINA, MACBETH, IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, LA FORZA DEL DESTINO, BORIS GODUNOV), the Opéra National de Paris (BORIS GODUNOV, FAUST, NABUCCO), the San Francisco Opera (PRINCE IGOR, AIDA), Washington Opera (DON CARLO), and the Metropolitan Opera New York (BORIS GODUNOV, DON GIOVANNI, AIDA, KHOVANSHCHINA, DON CARLO, NABUCCO). Mr. Burchuladze first appeared with the New Israeli Opera in 1994 and has since sung the majority of his repertory with the company, to which he has very close bonds. His most recent successes have been LA GIOCONDA, MEFISTOFELE, and FAUST. Beyond his operatic fame, Mr. Burchuladze is also a celebrated and refined concert and recital singer, regularly performing with the most important festivals and producers worldwide, including La Scala, Musikverein and Konzerthaus Vienna, Salzburg Festival, Covent Garden, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Bavarian State Opera, Stuttgart State Opera, Tonhalle Zurich, La Monnaie in Brussels, La Bastille and Salle Gaveau in Paris, Solothurn, the Palau in Barcelona, Sevilla, Warsaw, Moscow, etc. At the invitation of legendary conductor Herbert von Karajan (who referred to him as the second Schaljapin), he sang Commendatorein Mozart’s DON GIOVANNI at the Salzburg Festival in 1987 and starred in the REQUIEM MASSES by Verdi and Mozart as well. He returned to Salzburg in the summer of 2002 for a new production of TURANDOT and concerts together with Riccardo Muti and Valery Gergiev. Paata Burchuladze received special acclaim for his portrayal of Boris Godunov and was invited to inaugurate the 1990/91 Met season with the role, which he sang at Covent Garden as well as the State Operas of Vienna and Munich (singing his 100th performance of Boris in July 1995 at the latter). Mr. Burchuladze’s discography comprises IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, SIMON BOCCANEGRA, AIDA and ERNANI for DECCA, Mozart’s DON GIOVANNI and MESSA DA REQUIEM, LA FORZA DEL DESTINO, EUGENE ONEGIN and KHOVANSHCHINA with Deutsche Grammophon, RIGOLETTO with EMI, LA BOHEME and NABUCCO with Koch-Schwann as well as SAMSON ET DALILA for Philips. His 2010-12 seasons included appearances at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden (THE TSAR’S BRIDE), at the Liceu in Barcelona and the Palau de la Musicá in Valencia, in Verdis AIDA with Masada Festival in Israel, also MACBETH with Deutsche Oper Berlin, IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA at the Metropolitan Opera, MAZEPPA with Monte Carlo Opera, DON GIOVANNI with Opéra National de Paris – RIGOLETTO at the Palau de la Musicá Valencia, PRINCE IGOR at the Bolshoj Theatre, BORIS GODUNOV with Israeli Opera, DON CARLO with Teatro Regio di Torio, TURANDOT with Masada Festival were the highlights for the 2012/13 season with AIDA and NABUCCO with Arena di Verona, DON CARLO at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, PRINCE IGOR at Hamburg’s State Opera, Verdi’s MESSA DA REQUIEM in Madrid and IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA at the Metropolitan Opera to follow in the coming seasons. In February 1998, Mr. Burchuladze was named a prince by the Russian Orthodox Church. The State Opera of Stuttgart awarded his loyalty with the Kammersänger title in July 1998. He was appointed Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations in 2006 and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2010, in the same year he got Presidential Order of Excellence of Georgia and Honor of Commender by the President of Italian Republic. In 2014 year the President of Republic of Austria awarded him with the Cross of Honor, First Class, for Science and Arts.
She began her professional training in 2004 with Claudio Estay, solo percussionist at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. From an early age, she advanced rapidly in the world of music. At just 13, she won First Prize at the renowned German competition Jugend musiziert and became the youngest member of the National Youth Orchestra of Germany. At 15, sponsored by Bavarian Radio, she released her first CD, and at 16 she was accepted to study at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree under Professors Peter Sadlo and Raymond Curfs. She went on to win prizes at international competitions in Paris, Nuremberg, and Ingolstadt. At the 63rd ARD International Music Competition, she received two Special Prizes for her outstanding achievements as the youngest semifinalist, and in 2016 she was awarded First Prize for her own composition at the Kulturpreis der Kulturkreis Gasteig München. In addition to her original works, Vivi Vassileva performs numerous contemporary compositions written especially for her. Vivi successfully experiments with a variety of chamber ensembles, including her acclaimed Vivi Vassileva Quartet. She has performed in Brazil, Spain, Ukraine, Portugal, Algeria, and Poland, and has appeared as a soloist at the Rheingau Music Festival, the European Weeks in Passau, the Reistag Festival in Munich, and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival.