7th of October, 2026 / Sofia Opera and Ballet
Dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the New Bulgarian University.
An exceptional evening dedicated to young opera talents and great art!
The New Bulgarian University and the Sofia Opera and Ballet present the gala concert, dedicated to the 26th International masterclass by Raina Kabaivanska: the culmination of the prestigious forum which has been gathering young opera singers from all over the world to Sofia, for more than a quarter of a century.
The laureates of the 26th International masterclass will perform on the Sofia Opera stage: Aida Pascu (Romania), Andrei Miclea (Romania), Baia Saganelidze (Georgia), Fabio Maria Napoletani (Italy), Gabriela Yordanova (Bulgaria), Haotian Ma (China), Irina Melnik (Ukraine), Konstantinos Stafilidis (Greece), Lubov Ostrovska (Ukraine), Mariam Kiziria (Georgia), Min-su Kim (South Korea) and Nazlıcan Karakaş (Turkey).
The audience will hear favorite arias by Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Verdi, Saint-Saëns, Bizet, Puccini and Bernstein: a repertoire which will reveal the young performers’ rich voices and artistry.
Special guests: established artists from Raina Kabaivanska’s School and scholarship receivers of the “Raina Kabaivanska” fund at NBU: Selene Zanetti (Italy): lead singer at La Scala, Covent Garden and the Vienna Staatsoper; Maria Radoeva (Bulgaria) and Alexandrina Mihaylova (Bulgaria).
The gala concert sets the beginning of a series of events with which the New Bulgarian University will celebrate the 35th anniversary of its founding. The event is part of the Sofia municipality cultural events Calendar for 2026.