About the artist... 

 
Soprano Anna Veleva, who made her Carnegie Halldebut in 2007, has appeared at major opera houses, recital and concert halls in the United States, Europe and Japan. Recognized internationally for her opera, concert and recital performances a critic for the Bulgarian newspaper Monitor hailed her as "the new opera hope". She has also made radio, television and theatrical appearances. Among her recent roles have been Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata, Gilda in Rigoletto, Musette in Puccini's La Boheme and Michaela in Bizet's Carmen produced by Columbia Artists Management.

A native of Bulgaria, Ms. Veleva came to prominence in 2003 after her critically acclaimed debut at the Sofia National Opera in the role of Lucia in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. According to one critic, "Anna Veleva sang splendidly in the all-important title role of Lucia at the gala opening. Her Lucia was memorable and was received by the audience with long applause and a standing ovation. Anna Veleva was absolutely magnificent in the legendary "Mad Scene". She beautifully conveyed the powerfully conflicting emotions and sang superbly the technically difficult arias. Very rarely can a soprano sing virtuosic passages with such ease and brilliance and yet act incredibly".

Since making her debut in that role, she has been engaged by Opera Verdi Europa to perform Lucia and a number of other prominent roles, including Gilda (Rigoletto) and Musetta (La Boheme). She also sang with the Bourgass and Varna Opera companies, and toured the United States with the Plovdiv Opera.

Anna Veleva has appeared in prominent classical music venues in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Poland in addition to her native country, Bulgaria, where she performed in the New Years Gala Concert at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia, conducted by Maestro Emil Tabakov. She has also sung at musical festivals in Boston and Gettysburg, and special concert programs at the World Bank in Washington and United Nations in New York. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in February 2007 as the featured soloist in a concert produced by the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, honoring survivors and rescuers in the Holocaust.

She received her bachelor and master's degrees in music at the State Academy of Music, Pancho Vladigerov, in Sofia. She then continued her studies in New York, where she received a professional postgraduate diploma in vocal performance from the Mannes College of Music. After finishing her two-year program with honors, she continued her professional training in New York with renowned opera singer Renata Scotto. In 2003 she studied theatre performance with renowned actor Alec Baldwin, at the South Hampton College in New York. Among her awards have been prizes in the G.Zl.Cherkin Competition and the Spoletto Vocal Art Competition.