“Vassileva’s dramatic soprano eloquently expresses Aida’s conflict, torn between love for Radames and loyalty to her homeland. If she seems to hold back a little in early scenes, her voice reveals its full radiance and power in her third-act area lamenting the fate of her people and her final tragic yet transcendent duet with Radames.”

"Zvetelina Vassileva, the Tosca in Madison opera production staged in Overture Hall, thorougly explored the interpretative opportunities in a complex heroine – emotionally volatile, inmediately jealous and suspicious, quickly impassioned, eventually despairing, and ultimately bold in action.
Because Ms. Vassileva did so, and because she sang beautifully – no less important, because opera is foremost a vocal art form – this production of one of the most popular operas in the repertoire was a success. The Tosca voice must embody the strength of a strong personality, even in despair. It demands a lirico-spinto or dramatic soprano. Vassileva has the voice. She demonstrated a consistent ability to spin out a long legato line and make it vibrate with emotion. A beautiful woman, she acted the role with great intensity and conviction, with phisicality.
Her brutal enconuter with Scarpia in the second act was stunning.”

“The cast for this production is strong and deep. Soprano Zvetelina Vassileva´s Tatiana matures persuasively from the bookish romantic innocent of Act I to the more wordly, pragmatic woman two acts (and some years) afterward. Her Setter Scene, the opera´s chief glory, was sung Friday with impetuous, desperate fury.”

“Bulgarian soprano Zvetelina Vassileva has an instinct for playing Russian heroines. As Tatiana, she exudes a calm diffidence in early escenas. During her lengthy aria, she slowly transforms. The singer´s brooding strains biuld into bold, lyrical resolve, as Tatiana risks her Herat to win Eugene. When Tatiana fails to win him with an impassioned setter, Vassileva bursts out in mortified lament.”

“Zvetelina Vassileva, who sang the role at the Met this season, brought equal parts poise and brilliance Leonora. She turned on a dime from dramatic heft to chirping coloratura, no sweat. Golden-toned with a silver edge, she tended to take things on the show side, as if to highlight the quality of her voice. The line have occasionally sagged; her voice did not.”

“Casting: Very good, specially the Mimì of Zvetelina Vassilieva, who was, from her firsgt entry, wordly-wise but never vulgar. Although beautifully responsive to the text and to the delicacies of the scoring, she was bolde where necessary and at the big moment took vocal risks succesfully.”