The Bulgarian mezzo-soprano Petia Petrova made her début in 1995 as Rosina in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia in her native city of Sofia, where she was born in 1973 and where she studied at the Music Academy. A prize-winner in 1996 at the International Boris Christoff Singing Competition in Sofia and in the Luxemburg Sylvia-Geszty Competition, she has appeared at the National Opera in Sofia in a varied repertoire, including works by Mozart, undertaking rôles including those of Dorabella in the latter's Così fan tutte, and of Adalgisa in Bellini's Norma. In 1997 an award from the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg Staatsoper brought her particular success in the following year, when, at short notice, she took over the rôle of Rosina from Edita Gruberová, who was indisposed. In 1999 she won praise from the press and public alike for her performance as Smeton in a concert performance of Donizetti's Anna Bolena, followed, two days later, by appearance as Angelina in La Cenerentola, replacing the indisposed Carmen Oprisanu. In early 1999 Petia Petrova won the first and the audience prize at the International Viñas Competition. Her recent career has brought appearances in principal rôles in Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, La Coruña, Tel Aviv, Hamburg, Munich, Covent Garden, Vienna and at the Rossini in Wildbad Festival.

April, 2002

Discography