The Wiener Staatsoper's 2004-2005 season includes Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, which premiered on 8 December. Krassimira Stoyanova performed the role of "Amelia" to rave reviews. Beginning 3 January 2005, she will appear at the Met's production of Turandot in the role of Liu; and, on 18 January, she will appear in recital with the Opera Orchestra of New York. It seems fitting, then, to provide a biographical note of this exciting soprano.

Krassimira Stoyanova was born in Bulgaria and studied singing and violin at the Plodiv Music Academy and violin at the Conservatory Russe.

Mrs. Stoyanova made her professional debut in 1995 at the Opera National de Sofiya, where she sang a wide range of repertory: Rigoletto (Gilda), Le Nozze di Figaro (Susanna), Il Guarany (Cecilia), and Antonio Carlo Gomes' I Fosca (Delila), La Juive (Rachel), La Clemenza di Tito (Vitellia) and Idomeneo (Ilia).

Her international career developed rapidly and took her to the following opera houses and theaters: Metropolitan Opera: La Traviata (Violetta), Nationaloper Helsinki: Le nozze di Figaro (Gräfin), New Israeli Opera Tel Aviv: La Juive (Rachel) - new production, Don Giovanni (Donna Anna), Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires: I Pagliacci (Nedda) - new production - , Carnegie Hall: Les Huguenots (Valentine), La Battaglia di Lignano (Lida), Hamburgische Staatsoper. La Traviata (Violetta), Royal Opera House Covent Garden: La Bohème (Mimi), Opernhaus Köln: La Juive (Rachel) Gala evening with Neil Shicoff, Ravenna Festival: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony conducted by Riccardo Muti, Opernhaus Zürich: La Traviata (Violetta), Deutsche Oper Berlin: Idomeneo (Elettra), Le Nozze di Figaro (Gräfin), Konzerthaus Berlin: Rossini's Stabat Mater conducted by Maestro Marcus Creed with CD-recording, Rio de Janeiro: Carmen (Micaela), BAYERISCHE STAATSOPER MüNCHEN: Carmen (Micaela), SALZBURGER FESTSPIELE: Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Antonia), Teatro Reggio di Torino: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony conducted by Myung-Whung Chung, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with Christoph Eschenbach, etc... .

Since 1998 Krassimira Stoyanova has been engaged at the Wiener Staatsoper - and has sung in the following operas: La Juive - with TV-production (Rachel), Le Nozze di Figaro (Contessa), Carmen (Micaela), Les contes d'Hoffmann (Antonia), Turandot (Liu), I Pagliacci (Nedda), La Bohème (Mimi), etc...

The 2003/2004 season is presenting a new production of Verdi's Falstaff (Alice Ford) at the Wiener Staatsoper, and Le nozze di Figaro (Gräfin), Don Giovanni (Donna Anna), Turandot (Liu), I Pagliacci (Nedda) for Ms. Stoyanova.

Further highlights of the 2003/2004 season include Anna Bolena (title role) at Carnegie Hall with Opera Orchestra of New York, New York, Dvorak: Stabat Mater and Dimitri at the Wiener Konzerthaus, Bruckner: Te Deum at the Wiener Musikverein, and Dvorak: Stabat Mater at the Alte Oper Frankfurt.

During the 2004 to 2006 seasons Mrs. Stoyanova returns to Washington Opera to appear in Il Trovatore (Leonora), Turandot (Liu) at the Metropolitan Opera, Don Giovanni (Donna Anna) in Bilbao - new production - and in Otello (Desdemona) - new production - in Barcelona and Tokio.

Selected Recordings:

Rossini: Petite Messe Solennelle / Creed

Rossini: Stabat Mater

Go to Ms. Stoyanova's website for additional information, including audio and video clips from her performances.