Michail Svetlev (tenor)

Upon completion of theology schooling at the Holy Seminary in Sofia, Bulgaria, he went on to study opera singing with noted Bulgarian and European pedagogues, including Stojan Kissjov and Anita Salta. He received the Silver Medal in Italy's International Vercelli Opera Competition in 1968 and became a member of the National Operetta Sofia the same year.

During the 1970 student music festival in Bayreuth conducted by Pierre Boulez, Svetlev was discovered by Boulez's assistant, Bernhard Lang, General Music Director in Passau, Germany. This led to Svetlev's engagement there, where in 1971 he began his operatic career singing the leading tenor role of Manrico in Verdi's "Il Trovatore." A few months later, Svetlev began a 3-year contract with the Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich, where he sang the leading opera tenor roles and operettas.

In the next few years, he expanded his repertoire as an Italian tenor and performed in many German opera houses, including Augsburg, Bremen, Stuttgart, Mannheim, and Düsseldorf. He worked intensively with Italian conductor Alberto Erede and baritone Tito Gobbi.

Svetlev's appearance in a German TV Show[1] with Anneliese Rothenberger in 1977 had great impact on the beginning of his international career. This was followed by engagements in Amsterdam,[2] Sofia, Strasbourg, Paris, and other European cities. His first appearance at the Vienna State Opera was in 1979 in the leading tenor role of Herman in Tschaikowsky's "Pique Dame."

Michail Svetlev made his debut in La Scala in Milan on December 7, 1979, with the tenor role of Dimitrii in Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov." After that, he appeared repeatedly in La Scala and at the leading opera houses including Covent Garden in London, the Vienna State Opera, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires,[3] Berlin, Munich,[4] Hamburg, Bonn, New York, Rome, Paris, Zurich, Lausanne, Toronto, Pretoria, Tel Aviv, Monte Carlo, Nice, Marseille, Mexico City, Las Vegas, Kopenhagen, Salzburg, Athens, and many others.

Michail Svetlev as Duke of Mantova in "Rigoletto"

Michail Svetlev debuted in the United States in 1980 as Ricardo in Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera" in Washington, D.C.[5] Further appearances included opera companies in San Francisco,[6][7][8] Houston,[9] Miami,[10] Philadelphia,[11] and Palm Beach.

Throughout his career he was recognized not just for his talent as a singer, but also for his talent as an actor, with more than 60 major tenor roles ranging from the lyric to the dramatic operatic repertoire. Mr. Svetlev participated in the tours of The Metropolitan Opera Guild. He also sang classical programs worldwide, accompanied by his wife, pianist Zornitza Svetlev.

Michail Svetlev is also a vocal adviser to many singers and gives master classes on occasion.[12] He has three children - Alexander, Katarina, and Michail Jr. and lives most of the year in Germany.

Michail Svetlev co-starred with numerous leading singers including Montserrat Caballé, Mirella Freni, Renata Scotto, Leontyne Price, Margaret Price, Martina Arroyo, Raina Kabaivanska, Leonie Rysanek, Edita Gruberova, Fiorenza Cossotto, Hildegard Behrens, Tito Gobbi, Sherill Milnes, Piero Cappuccilli, Leo Nucci, Ruggero Raimondi, Robert Lloyd, and Paul Plishka.

Mr. Svetlev has worked with numerous conductors and directors including Herbert von Karajan, Zubin Mehta, Claudio Abbado, Anton Guadagno, Nello Santi, Seiji Ozawa, Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez, Mstislav Rostropovich, Marc Soustrot, Alain Lombard, Edo de Waart, Emerson Buckley, Charles Mackerras, Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, Roman Polanski, Tito Capobianco, Lotfi Mansouri, Otto Schenk, and Giancarlo del Monaco.

Michail Svetlev has sung with symphony orchestras around the world, including the New York Philharmonic,[13] Tel Aviv, Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Paris, Mexico City. He has recorded for radio and television in Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, France and the United States.

Michail Svetlev as Cavaradossi in "Tosca"