Bulgarian-British-American soprano, researcher, and teacher Theodora Ivanova Nestorova has been hailed as “outstanding” (Cleveland Classical), “the focus of activity”(Boston Music Intelligencer), and “eclectic & unique” (Bulgarian National Television).

The 2018-2019 first-place winner of the American Prize in Vocal Performance (Art Song), Theodora is an avid early and contemporary musician. She has recorded world premiere compositions with the Wladigeroff Brothers, at the Bulgarian National Radio, with the Indictus Project, in the Jordan Hall Liederabend Series, Wien Modern Festival, Bang on a Can, and Emmanuel Music’s The Bach Institute. Theodora is one-half of the experimental soprano-cello duo, Pizzicanto, which was invited to serve as Music for Food’s Artist Fellows for the 2022-23 season. Also this season, Theodora will perform the role of Galatea in the world premiere of Dean Burry’s Il giudizione di Pigmalione with Opera McGill in Montréal. A published voice scientist, active pedagogue, and singing clinician, Theodora won the Best Poster Paper Award at the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) 2022 Conference and in 2020 was awarded the Pan American Vocology Association (PAVA)’s Best Student Presentation. An international educator, Theodora was nominated to serve in the 2023 Global Leaders Program Executive Cohort, a think tank for arts changemakers.

A Fulbright Scholar, Theodora was a Fulbright Study/Research Grant Recipient to Vienna, Austria, studying MA Lied/Oratorio at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and conducting vocology research. Theodora holds a M.M. (Vocal Pedagogy & Music-in-Education Concentration) from the New England Conservatory and a B.M. (Voice Performance/Musicology) from Oberlin Conservatory. She is currently pursuing an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music.