Born in Asenovgrad, Elena Stoyanova graduated from the High School of Music in Plovdiv, then the Academy of Music in Sofia, in the class of Assoc. Prof. LilyanaZhablenska.
She took part in the Summer Singing Academy in Weimar, and within the Summer Academy in Siena, she was an active participant in Prof. Favaretto's opera singing course. She specialized in the Studio for Young Opera Singers at La Scala in Milan with the famous Giulietta Simionato and Luciano Silvestri.
Her repertoire includes over 40 opera roles from works by Händel, Pergolesi, Mozart, Donizetti, Rossini, Verdi, Bizet, Glinka, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Britton, Prokofiev, as well as the Requiems of Mozart and Verdi, “Stabat Mater” by Rossini, “Carmina Burana” and “Catulli Carmina” by Orff and songs by Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Rachmaninoff.
Her discography includes many recordings of arias, songs and opera spectacles for the Bulgarian National Radio, as well as recitals and spectacles shot by the Bulgarian National Television. Among her most remarkable interpretations on a recording are “The Golden Cockerel” by Rimsky-Korsakov with conductor Dimitar Manolov, “Ivan Susanin” by Glinka with conductor Ivan Marinov, “Prince Igor” by Borodin and “The Queen of Spades” by Tchaikovsky under the baton of Emil Chakarov and “Catulli Carmina” by Orff, conductor by Mihail Milkov.
Her debut on the stage of the Sofia Opera was still as a student. Maestro Asen Naydenov watched her in a production of the Student Opera Theatre and immediately engaged her at the Sofia Opera for the role of the Queen of the Night from “Die Zauberflöte” by Mozart. On the Sofia stage Stoyanova also sang Gilda from “Rigoletto” and Rosina from “Il Barbiere di Siviglia”. A French impresario chose her for the role of the Queen of Shemakha in the extremely lavish and spectacular production of “The Golden Cockerel” by Rimsky-Korsakov at the Théâtre de Châtelet in Paris, performed by a Japanese stage director with elements of traditional kabuki theatre. Following the triumphant success of the spectacles at the Châtelet, the production was also shown at the Nancy Opera Theatre. At the Sofia Opera, the conductor Dimitar Manolov and the stage director Vili Tsankov staged Rimsky-Korsakov's “The Golden Cockerel” and Elena Stoyanova was again the focus of attention, enthusiastically applauded by audience and critics, not only in our country, but also in Germany.
Stoyanova has taken part in tours in Belgium, Holland, Germany, Spain, USA and in spectacles in Prague, Cairo, Limoges, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Lisbon, Timisoara, she has given opera recitals in Italy, Germany, Georgia and Malta.
Since 2008, she has been teaching. Since 1993, she has been guest and giving recitals in Germany, where she lives with her family. She participates in numerous children's performances of the Sofia Opera.
She won First Prize at the Svetoslav Obretenov National Competition for Young Musicians and a diploma at the Maria Callas International Competition in Athens.
In 2009, she was handed out the Classic FM Radio's Golden Feather Award for Musician of the Year.
