XVI International master class of Raina Kabaivanska
For the first time this year the audition for the XVI International master class of Raina Kabaivanska at the New Bulgarian University /NBU/ will be for working on a repertoire at choice, as well as a casting for a role in the production of Giacomo Puccini’s “Turandot”.
The opera super production will be a joint project of the NBU and the Sofia Opera and will be performed in three spectacles on 9, 11 and 13 December.
The idea for the spectacle is a continuation of Raina Kabaivanska’s efforts not only to train young talents, but also to support their presentation on the international opera stage. “Turandot” will be the third project of this kind, after the NBU and the Sofia Opera realized in 2010 the opera “La Bohème” with students of the great opera prima from Bulgaria and Italy. The production was presented in six spectacles in Sofia in 2010 and 2011, and in January 2012 were given two more spectacles at Teatro comunale Luciano Pavarotti in Modena, Italy. In December 2012 was realized a second opera spectacle – “Werther“ by Jules Massenet, in partnership between the New Bulgarian University, the Sofia Opera and Théâtre royal de la Monnaie“ in Brussels, Belgium.
This year, the performances will be presented by two artistic casts of students from Raina Kabaivanska’s school from Bulgaria and Italy, some of who are already starts on the world stages.
A chance to be included with a role in the spectacles will have also this year the candidates for participation in the XVI international master class of the great opera prima.
The ones who desire to present themselves at the audition for participation in the master class and at the casting for a role in “Turandot” can register themselves at the official website of the world-known opera star www.rainakabaivanska.net. The conditions for participation are the candidates to have musical education or at the moment to be students at a music university, to be up to 32-year old and to have prepared five arias for the competition audition.
The audition of the candidates this year will be on 8 September at the Sofia Opera and ballet and it will be hold personally by Raina Kabaivanska. 10 selected young opera singers of all the candidates will have the possibility to work with Raina Kabaivanska from 9 to 24 September on the improvement of their vocal technique and artistic interpretation, as well as to prepare new roles.
On 25 September will be given the Gala concert of the students from the master class at the Sofia Opera and ballet with the orchestra of the opera theatre, under the baton of Nayden Todorov and with the special participation of Raina Kabaivanska. Then will be awarded the scholarships from her donor’s fund.
Till the moment the fund has awarded over 70 scholarships in three categories for training with Raina Kabaivanska – for the master class at the New Bulgarian University; for the master class at the Chigiana Academy in Sienna, Italy; special one-year scholarships for the Vecchi-Tonelli Institute in Modena, Italy. During the years the fund’s donors were personalities and organizations, among which the America for Bulgaria Foundation, Fantastico, the Sofia Municipality. The events are under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria and are dedicated to 25 years of the foundation of the New Bulgarian University.
Kabaivanska’s school of vocal mastery and actor’s interpretation trains young opera talents in the classical vocal style of opera singing. In the classes took part young performers from Europe, America, Asia, South Africa, Australia. Her first master class in Bulgaria, at the NBU, Raina Kabaivanska made in 2001, and a year later, she founded a donor’s fund at the university for scholarships for young opera singers for training in Bulgaria and Italy.
Maria Agresta, Andrea Caré, Veronica Simeoni, Virginia Tola are only a part of the names of the artists from Kabaivanska’s school with engagements for years to come at the most prestigious opera theatres in the world. More and more often, we shall hear also about Vittoria Yeo, Maria Radoeva, Simon Lim, Jing Bang, Yasko Sato, who at the moment make series of brilliant world debuts. Laureates of prestigious international awards are Matteo Desole, Roxana Herrera, Elisa Barbero, Anton Markov, Elisa Cho, Ana Petricevic.