Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, Svetlina Stoyanova is a highly acclaimed mezzo-soprano with a rapidly rising career in the opera world. After initially studying Psychology at Glasgow University, she was offered a place in the vocal department at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she completed both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees under the guidance of tutor Clare Shearer.
During her studies, Svetlina won the prestigious Neue Stimmen Competition in 2017, which led to her international debut as Cherubino, Le Nozze di Figaro in Opéra Nice Côte d'Azur shortly after. Following this success, she performed the role of Rosina, Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Bregenzer Festspiele.
Svetlina has since gone on to perform at some of the most renowned opera houses in the world, including the Vienna State Opera, where she was part of the ensemble of soloists for two seasons from 2018. She toured with the Vienna State Opera in Elbphilharmonie Hamburg singing Cherubino and Tonnhalle Düsseldorf with the role of Zerlina, Don Giovanni, under the direction of M° Adam Fischer. She also made her debut as Isabella in "Italiana in Algeri" on a tour around France with Ensemble Matheus, conducted by M° Jean-Christophe Spinosi.
In 2020/2021, Svetlina made her Italian debut as Cenerentola at the New Generation Festival in Florence, followed by a concert performance of Messa di Milano at the Rossini Opera Festival. She also made her debut at the Bolshoi Theatre as Rosina and as Cenerentola at the Sofia Opera.
Ms. Stoyanova has been a frequent guest at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, having made her debut in Le Nozze di Figaro, followed by Leo Muskato’s new production of Il barbiere di Siviglia under the baton of M° Riccardo Chailly. She has also appeared in La Calisto, Ariadne auf Naxos, Adriana Lecouvreur, and is set to return as Cherubino in 202Svetlina has since gone on to perform at some of the most renowned opera houses in the world, including the Vienna State Opera, where she was part of the ensemble of soloists for two seasons from 2018. She toured with the Vienna State Opera in Elbphilharmonie Hamburg singing Cherubino and Tonnhalle Düsseldorf with the role of Zerlina, Don Giovanni, under the direction of M° Adam Fischer. She also made her debut as Isabella in "Italiana in Algeri" on a tour around France with Ensemble Matheus, conducted by M° Jean-Christophe Spinosi.
Ms. Stoyanova has been a frequent guest at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, having made her debut in Le Nozze di Figaro, followed by Leo Muskato’s new production of Il barbiere di Siviglia under the baton of M° Riccardo Chailly. She has also appeared in La Calisto, Ariadne auf Naxos, Adriana Lecouvreur, and is set to return as Cherubino in 2023.
After making her house debut, Svetlina made her debut in Zurich Opera House as Lola, Cavalleria Rusticana and will return in the new season UK professional operatic debut at the Glyndebourne Festival, performing as Ruggiero in Handel's Alcina under the direction of M° Jonathan Cohen.
During the 2022/2023 season, Ms. Stoyanova had several debuts. She first appeared as Cenerentola at the Latvian National Opera, followed by a concert performance of Die Schone Galathee for Bayerischer Rundfunk with an orchestra under the direction of M° Ivan Repušić. She also made her debut as Cherubino at the Hamburg Staatsoper and performed Mascagni's L'amico Fritz at Concertgebouw in Amsterdam under the direction of M° Andrea Battistoni.
Ms Stoyanova is not only an accomplished opera singer but also a seasoned recitalist who has performed at prestigious venues such as Musikverein in Vienna, Wigmore Hall in London, and the International Festival Sofia Music Weeks. She has also showcased her talents in matinées and concert performances for the Vienna State Opera, as well as in the Live Music Now series at the Usher Hall during the Edinburgh Festival.
Her wide-ranging repertoire includes notable works such as Mozart Requiem, Elgar's Dream of Gerontius, Vivaldi's Gloria, Beethoven's Mass in C Major, and Mahler's Symphony No.4. Additionally, she had the honor of performing Dvořák's Mass in D Major during the opening ceremony of the Bregenz Festival.
Ms Stoyanova's accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. She was included in the Forbes Bulgaria "30 under 30" list for 2019 and was awarded the esteemed "Certificate for contributing towards the popularization of Bulgarian culture around the world" from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria in 2020. She has also received the 2019 Daniel Froschauer Award and The Silver Medal (Musician's Company Award), and has been recognized as a former Samling Artist, as well as an Independent Opera Scholar and Fellow for the 2017/2018 term
