Viktoria Balan

In October 2023 Viktoria Balan sang with the Sofia National Opera in Sofia, in a cast that included Sarah Mehnert, Miyoung Lee, Erica Cortese and Donghyun Kim. Born in Nikopol, Balan took a master's degree in opera singing at the Odesa National Music Academy in 2020 and settled in Italy in 2022, training at the Mascagni Academy in Livorno and in masterclasses with Raina Kabaivanska and Daniela Barcellona. The lirico-spinto voice brought first prize at the Spazio Musica competition in Orvieto and victory at the 78th Comunita Europea competition in Spoleto, both in 2024, and second prize at the Franco Bonisolli competition in Rovereto in 2025. Her first role debut came on 22 September 2024, as Lady Macbeth at the Teatro Nuovo Giancarlo Menotti in Spoleto.