Taking another fearless leap: Sonya Yoncheva

Sonya Yoncheva

Sonya Yoncheva (Tosca)

Sonya Yoncheva (Iolanta) in Dmitri Tcherniakov's staging

Sonya Yoncheva (Norma)

Sonya Yoncheva

Sonya Yoncheva (Iolanta)

By Mark Pullinger, 21 March 2025

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“I like to trust the stage director; for me, they can be like a mirror”

Chanda VanderHart, 6th March

Chanda VanderHart talks to the American tenor about his Tristan debut at the Met, his love for Vienna and Otto Schenk, and the incredible scope of his repertoire.

Street-smart and subversive: Ailish Tynan talks Così fan tutte

Jessica Duchen, 7th January

The Irish soprano talks about singing Mozart’s Così fan tutte with English National Opera, in London and Manchester – and how the wily Despina is the perfectly subversive character for her.

Semyon Bychkov takes over at Opéra national de Paris

Bachtrack, 6th January

Semyon Bychkov, currently finishing up his role as Chief Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic, will take over at Opéra national de Paris from August 2028.

Out of the ordinary: Wagner’s Ring at Paris Opera

Bachtrack, 12th November

In 2026, Opéra national de Paris presents its first complete cycle of Wagner’s Ring for over a decade, with productions directed by Calixto Bieito. We dig into these striking and provocative productions...

Nadine Sierra reclaims her narrative

Kevin W Ng, 8th November

Fresh out of her triumphant appearance in La sonnambula at the Met, soprano Nadine Sierra talks about being on a turning point in her career.

Ekaterine Buachidze and Mihai Damian win Operalia 2025

Bachtrack, 27th October

Prestigious opera competition Operalia, held this year in Sofia, Bulgaria, is open to singers of all voice types between 20 and 32 years old.

Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.