To mark the 70th anniversary of Opera Plovdiv, Bulgarian opera singer Sonya Yoncheva has launched a charitable initiative for young people. Aimed initially at students from the singer’s alma mater, Dobrin Petkov, the initiative will provide free tickets to performances at the Plovdiv Opera this year with the aim to nurture the ‘development and spiritual enrichment of future generations of musicians and artist’.

As a performer, Yoncheva has appeared at the MET, with the Berliner Philharmonic Orchestra at Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, and the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. Her upcoming engagements include the title role of Tosca with the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma in Yokohama and Tokyo as well as the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, the Caracalla Festival in Rome and the Ancient Theatre of Plovdiv.

Speaking about the initiative, the singer said ‘Among the main missions for me and my team is the full-fledged work with the future generations and ensuring the access of young people in Bulgaria to the various forms of art in order to guarantee their sustainable development.’ Going on to add, ‘I am sure that art is the best prevention in case of problems with mental health among young people and we as a progressive society must advocate for this every day’.

More information on the initiative can be found on the Opera Plovdiv website here.