The Sofia Opera and Ballet opened the 2020-21 season on Oct. 9 with the Bulgarian opera “Yana’s Nine Brothers” by Lyubomir Pipkov. 

The opening celebrated the 130th anniversary of the Sofia Opera and featured soloists Lilia Mihaylova, Svetozar Rangelov, Gergana Rusekova, Hrisimir Damyanov, Rumyana Petrova, Biser Georgiev, and Krasimir Dinev. 

During opening night Prof. Plamen Kartaloff, a member of the Academy of Sciences, gave a speech where he opened up pages from the history of the first opera house, recalled the importance of Lyubomir Pipkov’s work in the Bulgarian opera theatre tradition and its presentation at the world international forum Opera Europa and on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre. 

For the opening night, the Sofia Opera implemented social distancing regulations with the orchestra performing on the ground floor space, and the audience, which was in the three rows of balconies were seated on every second chair with flowers on the empty seats.