The prestigious Golden Muse Award was handed out to Academician Plamen Kartaloff, bearer of Bulgarian and international distinctions, Director of the Sofia Opera and Ballet, on 10 November, in the evening, after the spectacle of the ballet “La bayadère” with the world-known prima ballerina Svetlana Zaharova.

The elegant statuette was handed out to him by the Russian Ambassador in Bulgaria, His Excellency Anatoly Anatolievich Makarov, for contribution in the Bulgarian-Russian relationships and in the development of the cultural relations between both countries. The award of the Director of the Sofia Opera and Ballet was handed out by Ovanes Melik-Pashaev, President of the Joker Media Production House and one of the founders of “Golden Muse”. He shared before the audience that the creative work of Acad. Kartaloff is closely connected also with the Russian culture. The eminent Bulgarian stage director Plamen Kartaloff confessed that his activity is long since connected with the Russian opera repertoire. In May this year, the Sofia Opera and Ballet had guest-performances on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre with Academician Kartaloff’s productions: “Yana’s Nine Brothers” by Lyubomir Pipkov and “Der Ring des Nibelungen” by Richard Wagner. The theatre’s General Director, Prof. Urin, emphasized in an interview for the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency during the guest-performances that the Sofia Opera showed a high level and received endless ovations from the Moscow audience. Opuses by Russian composers like Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Stravinsky, Holminov and others were presented by Academician Kartaloff on stages in Russia, Belarus, Poland, Spain, Japan and other countries.

The prima ballerina Svetlana Zaharova was awarded the title “Honorary Member of the Sofia Opera and Ballet” and with unceasing applauses for her participation in the spectacles “Giselle” and “La bayadère” with the soloists and the company of our first opera and ballet theatre.   

The Golden Muse Award was created in 1994 to the idea of Neli Volkova-Kurteva, Honorary President of the jury, Artistic Director of the First Russian Private Theatre, and by well-known Bulgarian cultural figures. The award is handed out for special contribution in the popularization of the Russian culture and art in Bulgaria. The event was realized with the support of the Sofia Municipality, the Ministry of Education, the Russian Embassy in Bulgaria, the Russian Cultural and Information Centre in Sofia, the Rusofili Movement and Joker Media.