We are delighted to announce that the great star of world opera, tenor Simon O'Neill, will be a guest at the Sofia Opera's Wagner Festival. He will perform the role of Lohengrin in the new production by Plamen Kartaloff.

Simon O'Neill is often described as one of the best heroic tenors on the international stage. He was born in Ashburton, New Zealand and educated at Victoria University of Wellington, Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard Opera Centre in New York.

With his impressive voice and vocal prowess, Simon quickly established his presence on the world's stages. He is a frequent guest at the world's greatest theatres – the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Grand Opera in Paris, the Vienna Opera, La Scala in Milan, the Berlin Opera, San Francisco Opera, Covent Garden in London and many others. The great director Otto Schenck called him "the greatest tenor of his generation". His performances as Siegmund, Parsifal, Tristan, but also Otello and Florestan brought him well-deserved triumph. He has worked with the world's greatest conductors and international critics have praised his "golden" voice.

Simon made his debut at the Bayreuth Festival in the role of Lohengrin conducted by Andries Nelsons. For him, this musical season began with "Lohengrin" in San Francisco and will end again with "Lohengrin" at the Sofia Opera.

Simon O'Neill will sing on 23 June under the baton of Evan-Alexis Christ.

Interesting Fact: Simon O'Neill is a patron of a number of organisations in his home country, including the Association of Teachers of Singing and the School of Opera. In 1998, Simon's image appeared on New Zealand's one-dollar performing arts stamp. He became an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the operatic arts on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II's birthday in 2017.