The international jury didn’t award the Big Sofia Prize
The baritone from Russia Konstantin Brzhinskiy was awarded the First Prize and golden medal for men at the ХV Boris Christoff International Competition for young opera singers. Thee 33-year old Russian graduated the State Music Academy in Qazan. This is his second distinction at a Bulgarian competition, he is also winner of a prize from the International Competition for performers in Baku. Freelancer.
The second place and the silver medal are for the Bulgarian bass Delyan Slavov. The 31-year old performer is a graduate from the National Academy of Music “P. Vladigerov”, he has specialized at the Bulgarian Academy “Boris Christoff” in Rome. Freelancer.
The Russian soprano Natalia Dmitrievskaya is the winner of the Second Prize and the silver medal for women this year. The 35-year old singer graduated the State Academy of Music “Sergei Rachmaninoff” in Rostov-on-Don. Artist-soloist at the State Music Theatre in the same city. She is winner of the First Prize at the First All-Russia Competition in Moscow, at the XXI Glinka Competition and at the I Galina Vishnevskaya Competition for opera singers.
The Third Prize and bronze medal were awarded to the soprano from Bulgaria Nona Krastnikova. The 33-year old performer is a graduate from the National Academy of Music “P. Vladigerov”, student of Prof. M. Dyulgerova. Freelancer.
The soprano from Belarus Ekaterina Kupriyevskaya received a distinction for best performance of Bulgarian song for “Odi mome za voda” by Pancho Vladigerov. The 30-year old singer graduated the Academy for Young Opera Singers at the Mariinsky Theatre and the Academy of Art and Culture in St. Petersburg. Winner of Third Prize at the Konjovic International Competition, Serbia. Freelancer.
For best piano répétiteuer was awarded Miglena Slavova.
President of the international jury this year was Alexandrina Milcheva, and the members were Alex Grigorev from the Netherlands, Vladimir Gridyushko from Belarus, Genko Geshev – Bulgaria/USA and Stefka Evstatieva from Bulgaria, winner of the Big Award from a previous edition of the competition.
40 in total were the initial candidates for participation in the singer’s contest at the name of the great Bulgarian bass Boris Christoff. At Round II appeared 16 performers, and to Round III were admitted 10 of them.
The Bulgarian competition for young opera singers began in 1961. It was founded by Hristo Brambarov and Ilia Yosifov – two exceptional personalities from the music history in Bulgaria – magnificent opera artists and wonderful vocal pedagogues, who created the myth about the “Bulgarian opera school”. Winners of the competition were Ghena Dimitrova, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Nicola Ghiuselev, Hristina Angelakova, as well as a constellation of foreign singers, among who Ava June Cooper, Peter Glossop, Sylvia Sass, Yevgeny Nesterenko and others. The prizes are separated – for men and for women, and the Big Prize and the Ring of Sofia were awarded only 6 times in the entire history of the competition.
As members of the jury have been attracted many well-known opera singers and musicians from all over the world, among who Toti dal Monte, Irina Arkhipova, Pavel Lisitsin, Pierre Colombo, Walter Felsenstein, Ghena Dimitrova, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Ileana Cotrubaş, Luigi Alva and others.
The gala concert of the winners of the ХV Boris Christoff International Competition for young opera singers will be on 25 September at 19.00 h at Sofia Opera and Ballet. You will hear works by Verdi, Wagner, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. Conductor of the concert is Grigor Palikarov.
The Third Prize and bronze medal were awarded to the soprano from Bulgaria Nona Krastnikova. The 33-year old performer is a graduate from the National Academy of Music “P. Vladigerov”, student of Prof. M. Dyulgerova. Freelancer.
25September2014 ♦ 19:00 XV INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR YOUNG OPERA SINGERS“BORIS CHRISTOFF”