site.btaOpera Masterpieces, Spanish Zarzuela, Popular Songs and Classical Melodies at Gala in Sofia 2025 Festival

The Gala in Sofia 2025 festival is scheduled for August 28 and 29, at St Alexander Nevsky Square in Sofia. The festival’s two nights of performances are organized by SY11 Events, founded by opera singer Sonya Yoncheva to produce her own concerts. 

The event features opera masterpieces, Spanish zarzuela, popular songs, and classical melodies. A highlight will be the first joint performance in Bulgaria of two of the Three Tenors, Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo, alongside Sonya Yoncheva. There will also be performances by Vittorio Grigolo and the Sofia Philharmonic, conducted by Nayden Todorov. 

"A great dream will come true on August 28 and 29, the spiritual heart of Sofia will be transformed into an open-air concert hall and fill the city with emotional classical and contemporary music. Opera prima and producer Sonya Yoncheva intends to turn Gala in Sofia into an annual tradition, bridging generations, cultures, genres and uniting people through the power and beauty of art. This year we look forward to two nights of passion, melodies we love and a feast for opera, popular, film music and zarzuela lovers," the organizers said. 

The first concert features world-famous tenor Vittorio Grigolo, visiting Bulgaria for the first time, together with Sonya Yoncheva. It is called "Italian Evening" and includes the orchestra overture from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera The Force of Destiny, the "Pace, pace, mio Dio" aria from the same opera, the aria "La donna e mobile" from Verdi's Rigoletto, a compilation of duets "Parigi, o cara" and "Brindisi" from Verdi's La traviata, the intermezzo from Puccini's opera Manon Lescaut, the arias "E lucevan le stelle" and "Vissi d'arte" and the duet "Mario! Mario! Mario!" from Puccini's opera Tosca.

After the intermission. the audience can enjoy "Parla piu piano" from The Godfather composed by Nino Rota, the songs "Perdere l'amore" by Massimo Ranieri and "Paroles, paroles" by Gianni Ferrio, the duet song "Nella Fantasia" based on the instrumental piece "Gabriel's Oboe" from the film The Mission, composed by Ennio Morricone, the piece for orchestra "Chi, Mai" from the film Maddalena set to music by Morricone, the songs "Caruso" by Lucio Dalla, "Your Love" by Dulce Pontes and Ennio Morricone from the film Once Upon a Time in the West, the duet "Quando, quando, quando" by Tony Renis.

"The Shadow of Your Smile", dedicated to Frank Sinatra, "La Vie en Rose", dedicated to Edith Piaf, and "O sole mio" will sound as encores.

The second evening brings Sonya Yoncheva for the first time on one stage together with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras.

The greatest opera trio of all time The Three Tenors marks its 35th anniversary this year, and the 90th anniversary of Luciano Pavarotti's birth. Tenors Domingo, Carreras and Grigolo will be among the main artists to take part in a major concert in memory of Pavarotti at the Arena di Verona, a month after the Gala in Sofia. “The fact that we will see all three earlier on stage in Bulgaria is a unique chance for Bulgarian music lovers to be among the first in the world to experience their performance live,” the organizers said. 

The musical accompaniment of both festival evenings is entrusted to the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra and Maestro Nayden Todorov, Sonya Yoncheva's traditional partner for her projects in Bulgaria. An audience of about 10,000 people from around the country and abroad is expected, the organizers said.