site.btaGala Concert in Plovdiv Celebrates Raina Kabaivanska's 90th Anniversary

The 90th anniversary of Raina Kabaivanska will be marked on September 15 with a gala concert conducted by Maestro Nayden Todorov, the Italian Embassy said here on Monday. The event, organized by the State Opera in Plovdiv as part of the Opera Open festival, will be held at the Ancient Theatre in Plovdiv.

The concert will feature distinguished performers from Kabaivanska's school, including scholarship recipients from her donor fund at New Bulgarian University who have appeared in leading opera houses worldwide. The lineup includes soprano Alexandrina Mihaylova (Bulgaria), mezzo-soprano Baia Saganelidze (Georgia), mezzo-soprano Veronica Simeoni (Italy), soprano Mila Mihova (Bulgaria), tenor Reinaldo Droz (Venezuela), soprano Sofia Soloviy (Ukraine), and bass Toni Nežić (Croatia).

The evening's program will present a selection of notable arias associated with Kabaivanska's career.

A series of events celebrating Kabaivanska began with a New Year's concert featuring the Sofia Philharmonic in December 2023. This was followed by four performances of "Aida" at the Sofia Opera and Ballet in January 2024, two concerts at the Bastille Opera in Paris in February 2024, a performance at the Britten Theatre in London in May 2024, and the premiere of a documentary about her life and work. Future events include the XXIV International Master Class and a gala concert of the laureates at the Sofia Opera and Ballet in October 2024, and a production of "Adriana Lecouvreur" at the Sofia Opera and Ballet in January 2025.