Tsvetelina Vassileva - the golden voice of Bulgaria in Tosca

In the role of Tosca Tsvetelina Vassileva made her debut on the stage of Madison Opera in the USA, and then made a guest appearance at Wichita Opera, Kansas. The singer says she likes her heroine very much and identifies with Floria Tosca in many aspects. She is no stranger to the purely human traits that the genius "heartbreaker" Giacomo Puccini instilled in Tosca's character. Moreover, she is a singer, an artist. In Bulgaria Tsvetelina Vassileva has performed the role of Tosca at the Rousse Opera and on 16 July she will perform for the first time in front of the Stara Zagora audience.

Madison Journal "Tosca" at Madison Opera is a triumph.

Tsvetelina Vassileva's Tosca, in Madison Opera's production staged in the Overture Hall, fully presented the interpretive possibilities in a complex heroine - emotionally susceptible, jealous and suspicious, passionate, ultimately desperate and ultimately courageous in her actions. Because Ms. Vassileva accomplished this and sang beautifully - which is no less important because opera is first and foremost a vocal art form - this production of one of the most popular operas in the repertoire was an unqualified success. Vassileva is a lyric spinto soprano. She demonstrated a consistent ability to carve out a long legato and fill it with vibrations of emotion. She is a beautiful woman and filled the role with great energy and conviction, with physical presence. Her brutal encounter with Scarpia in the second act was magnificent."

East Wichita News - 08.05.2014 Kerry Kuplic, M. Mus Wichita Grand Opera's Tosca " The moving drama of Tosca needs a powerful, beautiful soprano. Tsvetelina Vassileva performed her role as Tosca effortlessly and with passion...Arguably the opera's greatest success was Tosca's aria in Act II, "I Lived for Art." The raw emotion and vulnerability with which Vassileva performed this aria was transcendent and could bring the most stoic viewer to tears."

Tsvetelina Vassileva "Close-up" on BNT2 - video

Tsvetelina Vassileva - Adriana Lecouvreur aria - video Soprano Tsvetelina Vassileva is one of Bulgaria's golden operatic voices with an impressive career in many of the world's most prestigious opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, London, Staatsoper-Berlin, La Moni, Brussels, Amsterdam, Glasgow, Cardiff, Toronto, San Francisco, Houston, Chicago, Tokyo, Moscow, Prague, Bucharest, Shanghai and many others in the USA, Europe and Asia. In the last few seasons Tsvetelina Vassileva has added to her rich repertoire the role of Princess Turandot, with which she made her debut on the stage of Wichita Grand Opera in Kansas, and then made a triumphant guest appearance at Shanghai Opera /conductor Renato Palumbo/. She is again Turandot at the Savonlinna Opera Festival - in Finland, directed by Veronesi. At the Split International Festival in Croatia she sang Aida and Turandot, as well as Adriana Lecouvreur; Elizabeth in Don Carlos, Mimi in La Boheme, Micaela in Carmen, Donna Anna, Tosca, Liu and Turandot on the stages of Wichita Grand Opera in Kansas, Sofia Opera, Stara Zagora Opera, Macedonian Opera and Ballet in Skopje, Varna Summer Festival, Rousse Opera and others. The performance of the Stara Zagora Opera "Turandot", presented on the stage of the National Theatre "Ivan Vazov" with Tsvetelina Vassileva in the role of Turandot was filmed and broadcast by the Bulgarian National Television. After graduating in opera singing at the Music Academy in Sofia, Tsvetelina Vassileva made her debut on the stage of the Sofia Opera and Ballet in the role of Amelia in "Masked Ball". Memorable are her debut roles of Elizabeth in Don Carlos, Desdemona in Otello, Leonora in Il Trovatore in the following seasons. In the meantime she won prizes at the international competitions in Italy "Tito Scippa" and "Francesco Chilea" and specialized with the famous tenor Carlo Bergonzi at La Scala in Milan. Tsvetelina Vassileva made her San Francisco Opera debut as Leonora in Il Trovatore, and the following season sang at the premiere of Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmilla and in The Coronation of Poppea - conducted by Patrick Summers. At the same time, she received exceptionally high critical and audience acclaim for her performance of Sharka from Smetana's symphonic poem cycle of the same name at the prestigious Wexford International Festival: "Tsvetelina Vassileva is a shatteringly dramatic soprano and by this time next year her name should be spoken by every opera impresario" and one Times critic wrote of her, "...a beautiful, sword-precise soprano voice allied to an unadulterated musical sensibility". Opera London's Tsvetelina Vassileva, from the Sofia Opera, was a brilliant young heroine, now gentle, now fiery, steady and beautiful throughout her vocal range, soaring through the long phrases without strain and with purity." The Sunday Telegraph "One comes away spellbound by Tsvetelina Vassileva's hauntingly beautiful singing as Sharka, performed by this fast-rising star, which is unforgettable and lingers in the soul."

The Daily Telegraph "My personal Palme d'Or goes to Tsvetelina Vassileva, a Bulgarian soprano who portrayed the title role with fearless precision and total commitment."

Opera Canada "Soprano Tsvetelina Vassileva's electrifying voice and performance brought the Festival to its feet." The Spectator "Tsvetelina Vassileva, the Bulgarian soprano who sang the title role, was one of the great operatic finds of the Festival. Listening to her, I think she could do anything she wanted."

This was immediately followed by guest appearances at the Royal Covent Garden Theatre in the roles of Desdemona inOtelloand Margenka inSold Bride, directed by Francesca Zambello. She also starred in the opera gala Nights of the Stars at the Royal Albert Hall with Agnes Balza, Giuseppe Giacomini, Daniela Desi, José Cura and FabioArmiliato.

Opera "The evening's most striking musical moments were all delivered by the wonderful voice of Tsvetelina Vassileva, a voice of vivid clarity and haunting suggestion that blended easily with the ensembles. Her incarnation as the humiliated Desdemona was almost unbearable in its suffering... free of unnecessary sentimentality."

Tsvetelina Vassileva's next engagements are with the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto in performances of Turandot /Liu/, La Traviata /Violetta/, Otello /Desdemona/, Masque Ball /Amelia/ and Joan of Arc from Verdi's opera of the same name.

The Globe and Mail - "La Traviata " "Vassileva has a lovely rich soprano voice, and her character building grew stronger with each scene."

Opera "Tsvetelina Vassileva's Desdemona was beautiful, graceful, vulnerable interpreted by a luscious lyric soprano voice that was able to match the ensemble in Act Three... Vassileva was magnificent in her performance of the incredibly moving Song of the Willow and Desdemona's Prayer."

At the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Tsvetelina Vassileva sang Violetta in La Traviata, Leonora in IlTrovatore, and Musetta in LaBoheme, all roles on opening night. In addition, she has appeared at theaters in Baltimore, Detroit, Cincinnati, West Palm Beach, Opera Pacific, Kentucky, and elsewhere. She has played Amelia, Leonora, Mimi, Tosca, Tatiana and Aida. At Grand Opera-Houston, Tsvetelina has sung Yaroslavna in Prince Igor, Tatiana in Eugene Onegin, and Aida.

The Washington Post "Tsvetelina Vassileva proved an unusually accomplished Violetta, with a soulful element to her performance...her incredible voice, with its dark tinge and quick vibrato, beautifully served the coloratura in Act I and the passionate outbursts in Act II.

The Times - "Il Trovatore""Tsvetelina Vassileva has a rolling steely voice with all the necessary notes...This impressive, full-sounding soprano voice...poured out "Di tale amor" with much theatrical brilliance and achieved incredible control and pathos in the aria "D'amor dull'ali rosee". Opera Japonica - "Eugeni Onegin", HGO "Tsvetelina Vassileva was Tatiana in a girlish way, unsure of herself in the letter scene, but matured before our eyes and became a sophisticated matron in society in the finale...she was able to embrace the role with effect, singing with the light sound of a young girl at the beginning and ending with passionate feminine tones full of dramatic color. " Orange County Register "Tsvetelina Vassileva, who sang the role of Leonora at the Metropolitan Opera this season, showed both poise and charm in Leonora. She maneuvered from dramatic pitch to chirpy coloratura without strain. Gold-tinged sound with a silver tinge, she seemed to purposely slow down, as if to emphasize the quality of her voice." Houston Chronicle "Vassileva's dramatic soprano eloquently conveys the conflict of Aida, torn between her love for Radames and her loyalty to her homeland...her voice reveals its full radiance and power in the third-act aria, suffering for the fate of her people and in her final and tragic yet transcendent duet with Radames. "Culture Vulture - Nancy Wozny "...an international cast of magnificent artists. Tsvetelina Vassileva achieves a proud and powerful AIDA... Vassileva and Bertie are particularly compelling in the final scene. " In Europe, Tsvetelina Vassileva scored a success at the Staats Oper- Berlin as Mimi in the opera Bohemi. In La Monet, Brussels she sang Judith in The Duke's Castle Bluebeard, at the Edinburgh Festival, the Santander Festival and at the Bregenz Festival she was Leonora and Aida. She has sung at the Welsh National Opera in Cardiff, La Maestranza Theatre in Seville, Thessaloniki- Greece, Glasgow, Prague State Opera, Bucharest National Opera, Kremlin Palace, Sofia National Opera and others.

The Independent on Sunday "In the title role of Aida, Tsvetelina Vassileva strikes the perfect balance between strength and vulnerability, a gentle and moving presence, endurance and lightness and brilliance in every tone."

The Spectator "The star of the show is undoubtedly Aida played by Tsvetelina Vassileva, who presented her character in all her complexity with magnificence." - " Ritorna Vincitor..."

The Guardian "Vassileva's Aida was a class achievement... her pianissimo phrases were astonishing"

Oper & Tanz - Martin Koch "... on this 25 July a wonderful AIDA by Tsvetelina Vassileva"

El Pais Madrid - J. Vela de Campo - D. Vela de Campo "A magnificent AIDA by Tsvetelina Vassileva"

Classical Voice - San Francisco "The beautiful Tsvetelina Vassileva sculpts Desdemona as shy, charmingly submissive... She sings with a rich Italian sound and graceful phrasing. Her voice is clear and attractive, musically perfect. " P. Post - Jamie Robles "Tsvetelina Vassileva was lovely both as form and voice, the appeal of her performance of Desdemona was one of the drama's compelling features and gave the opera some of its most inspired moments. The love duet at the end of Act I's 'Quando narravi' was tenderly sung by both Botha and Vassileva."

The Times "Tsvetelina Vassileva - a graceful young AIDA with a gentle, elegantly phrased and brilliant tone."

Opera Fresh - 06.02.2012, Kansas "The role of Leonora was performed by Tsvetelina Vassileva. Vassileva possesses a voice of great sonic flexibility and was able to display exceptional tenderness and overall pathos, the coloratura tones left us breathless."

The Wichita Eagle - 2/19/2013 "Tsvetelina Vassileva as Desdemona portrayed Othello's tragic submissive wife. Her voice had brilliant passion and she conveyed the emotion of her role in a beautiful way. " The Wichita Eagle - 04.2013 "As the Countess, Tsvetelina Vassileva's voice was rich, powerful and expressive...some of the arias most beautifully sung in the production were Vassileva's "Dove sono " and "Sull'aria che soave reffiretto " Opera News, WGO - "William Tell" - 01.05.2014 D. Dansker "Tsvetelina Vassileva was an ardent and regal Mathilde, offering an eloquently sung "Sombre foret ..."... overall this was a very, very well sculpted picture, especially exciting in act three when confronted with Gessler .. ." Belgian Opera Guide"-16.09.2015 Patrick C. Byrne "Turandot"-WGO Kanzas "Turandot was Tsvetelina Vassileva. The voice was tremendous, closing magnificently with the stratospheric climaxes, and also handling the lyrical passages with astonishing ease... The acting of the principals was first-rate, with Vassileva particularly effective as the complex character of the Princess. Not only did she do so with aplomb, but she added an extra layer of relationship with the fiercely determined Calaf that heightened the excitement of these two almost otherworldly characters. " 'The Kansas City Star''-31.08.2015 L.Hanssen "Turandot"- WGO Kansas "Tsvetelina Vassileva brought fierce passion to the role of the bloodthirsty Princess Turandot, though her powerful, commanding voice made her transformation from fierce to submissive beauty, melted by a single kiss, difficult to fathom.' The many conductors soprano Tsvetelina Vasilena has enjoyed working with include: Antonio Guadagno, Maurizio Arena, Daniel Oren, Bernard Haitink, Carlo Rizzi, Marco Armiliato, Nicola Luizotti, Lorin Maazel, Renato Palumbo, Filipe Jordan, June Merkle, Adam Fischer, Frederic Chaslin, Jacques Delacote, Richard Armstrong, Stephen Mercurio, Eduardo Mueller, Andrea Licata, Francesco Cuatrocchi, John Adams, Patrick Summers and others. And with many internationally acclaimed directors such as Franco Zeffirelli, Willie Decker, Alberto Facini, Elia Moschinski, Christopher Alden, John Cox, Sir Peter Hall, Sir Graham Vick, Lofty Mansouri, Francesca Zambello and others.

Tsvetelina Vassileva has given a number of concert performances in Italy, France, the Netherlands and other countries, the most important of which have been at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam - Stravinsky's Wedding, Georg Weston Recital Hall, Toronto - Verdi's Joan of Arc, Royal Albert Hall, London - Nights of the Stars with Armiliato, Agnes Balza, Daniela Desi, Rosalind Plurit, D. Kilico, José Cura, Giuseppe Giacomini, at the Grand Kremlin Palace, Moscow - Gala Concert.