Stefka Evstatieva is the bearer of awards from several prestigious singing contests: from the “Tchaikovsky” contest in Moscow (1974); from the “Belcanto” contest hosted by the national Belgian radio and television and from the young opera singers contest in Sofia where she won the Grand prize and the Golden Ring of Sofia award (1979). In 2018, she was awarded the “St. St. Cyril and Methodius” order in the form of a necklace.
Stefka Evstatieva was born on the 7th of May, 1947, in Russe. Her parents were born in Silistra. There, they performed in the “Sedyanka” choir. Stefka took violin and sol-fa lessons; however, she enjoyed neither. She studied at the Russe music school. She played the double bass and performed in the city orchestra together with her father who played the viola. She was accepted in the Bulgarian national conservatory under the tutelage of Elena Kiselova.
From 1971 till 1978, she performed at the Russe opera. Her debut on stage was in the role of Flora in “La Traviata”. Then, she performed as Clara in “Betrothal in a Monastery”. She claims her biggest role is Amelia in “Un ballo in Maschera” for which she prepared for eighteen days. During her eight seasons at the Russe opera, Stefka Evstatieva performed thirteen different roles: Mimi in “La Boheme”, Angelica in “Sister Angelica”, Leonora in “Il Trovatore”, Amelia in “Un ballo in Maschera”, Amelia in “Simon Bocanegra”, Lisa in “The Queen of Spades” as well as roles in the Bulgarian operas “Trevoga” by Alexandar Raichev, “Yulska nosht” and “Leto 893” by Parashkev Hadzhiev. She also performed soprano pieces from Beethoven’s Ninth symphony, from “Stabat Mater” by Rossini etc.
Having become popular, Stefka Evstatieva joined the Sofia Opera ensemble. She was invited by conductor Ruslan Raichev in 1978.
Her career took her to the Vienna Staatsoper, “La Scala”, “Covent Garden” in London, the Metropolitan Opera in New York as well as to most European and American theaters. “The only place I haven’t performed at is Australia”, the singer loved to joke.
Her repertoire consists mostly of operas by Giuseppe Verdi and verist composers: “Aida”, “Don Carlos”, “La forza del destino”, “Il Trovatore”, “Simon Bocanegra”, “Otello”, “Sister Angelica”, “Tosca”, “André Chénier”, “Cavalleria Rusticana”, “Adriana Lecouvreur”, “La Wally”, “Mefistofele”, “La Fiamma” etc. Her Russian repertoire includes unforgettable performances as Yaroslavna in “Knyaz Igor”, Lisa in “The Queen of Spades”, Tatyana in “Eugene Onegin”, Clara in “Betrothal in a Monastery” etc. Her Bulgarian repertoire performances include “Khan Asparuh” by Alexandar Raichev.
She has a notable participation in conductor Emil Chakarov’s recordings of the opera “The Queen of Spades” by Tchaikovsky and “Knyaz Igor” by Borodin and after that, in “Snow White” and “The Noblewoman Vera Sheloga” by Rimski-Korsakov, conducted by Stoyan Angelov. She has a recorded performance in “La Fiamma” by Respighi, “Fidelio” by Beethoven and “Katerina Ismailova” by Shostakovich.
The one role she never got to perform was the one of Manon in “Manon Lescaut” by Puccini and her favorite opera is “Don Carlos”. “I’ve got the most beautiful memories from the Sofia Opera production of “Don Carlos”: Plamen Kartaloff, Ivan Marinov, Nikola Gyuzelev, Kaludi Kaludov. I even asked my friends whether they found it annoying that Kaludi is shorter than me. “Nobody cares what you look like when you start singing. You enchant us”, they answered. I’ve also performed in French in this opera, at Covent Garden.” On the Sofia Opera stage, she performed as Marguerite in “Mefistofele” by Boito in the opera’s Bulgarian premiere.
After 1989, she moved with her family to the USA and settled in New York. For more than two decades, Stefka Evstatieva taught there and took an active role in the New York Bulgarian community’s cultural life; she performed in concerts together with the pianist Pavlina Dokovski. Evstatieva is one of the founders of the Bulgarian children’s choir and the “Gergana” school in New York. She hosted masterclasses during each of her visits in Bulgaria: in Sofia and in Russe, at “Apolonia”.
The Sofia Opera expresses its deepest condolences to Stefka Evstatieva’s family.
May she rest in peace!
