Jury

Vesselina KASAROVA

Bulgaria/ mezzo-soprano

Vesselina KASAROVA was born in Stara Zagora (Bulgaria) and began playing the piano at the age of four. After training as a concert pianist and gaining her diploma, she studied singing with Ressa Koleva at the Music Academy of Sofia, and was already as a student singing major roles at the National Opera.

In 1989 she was engaged by Zurich Opera, where she soon became a favourite with the audience, and was praised a great discovery by the international press. That same year she also won First Prize at the German singing competition Neue Stimmen in Gütersloh. Two years later Vesselina KASAROVA made her debut at the Salzburg Festival, with two matinees at the Mozarteum and as Annio in LA CLEMENZA DI TITO conducted by Sir Colin Davis. In the autumn of the same year she made her much acclaimed debut as Rosina at the Vienna State Opera.

In roles of Mozart (Dorabella in COSÌ FAN TUTTE, Zerlina in DON GIOVANNI, Idamante in IDOMENEO, Sesto in LA CLEMENZA DI TITO, Farnace in MITRIDATE, RE DI PONTO), Haendel (Ruggiero in ALCINA, Ariodante in ARIODANTE, Agrippina in AGRIPPINA), the bel canto composers (Rosina in IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, Angelina in LA CENERENTOLA, Isabella in L’ITALIANA IN ALGERI, Romeo in I CAPULETI E I MONTECCHI, Giovanna Seymour in ANNA BOLENA) and of the French repertory (Charlotte in WERTHER, Marguerite in LA DAMNATION DE FAUST, Léonor de Guzman in LA FAVORITE, Dalila in SAMSON ET DALILA, Carmen in CARMEN) she has since  appeared at the leading opera houses and festivals: Grand Théâtre de Genève, Royal Opera House Covent Garden London, Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bavarian State Opera, Opéra National de Paris, Teatro alla Scala Milano, Vienna State Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Metropolitan Opera New York, San Francisco Opera, Oper Zurich, Het Muziektheater Amsterdam, Semperoper Dresen, Staatsoper Hamburg, Teatro Real Madrid, Oper Köln, and at Salzburg Festival, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro. 

Vesselina KASAROVA has worked together with such renowned conductors as Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Sir Colin Davis, Pinchas Steinberg, Donald Runnicles, Daniel Barenboim, Fabio Luisi, Riccardo Muti, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Roger Norrington, Ivor Bolton, Semyon Bychkov, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Franz Welser-Möst, Zubin Mehta, Rossen Milanov, Harry Bicket, Antonio Pappano, Andris Nelsons, Vladimir Fedosejew, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Mark Minkowski.

She has given concerts and recitals throughout Europe, the USA and Japan.

Her recordings include complete opera recordings (TANCREDI, WERTHER, I CAPULETI E I MONTECCI, LA FAVORITE, LA CENERENTOLA, LA CLEMENZA DI TITO, DOM SÉBASTIEN, ROI DE PORTUGAL) and various recitals, and have been awarded numerous prizes.

Vesselina KASAROVA holds the title Kammersängerin of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich (July 2005) as well as Kammersängerin of the Vienna State Opera (May 2010).