Forum for Opera Art “Krassimira Stoyanova”
The first edition of the international competition for opera singers will take place in the heart of the old Bulgarian capital Veliko Tarnovo from 15 to 19 March 2026.
The Forum is named after the world-renowned soprano Krassimira Stoyanova, born in Veliko Tarnovo – an artist whose remarkable career inspires generations of singers around the world.
The event aims to discover, encourage, and support young talents in the operatic art by providing them with a professional stage for performance, training, and creative exchange.
participants selected for the in-person rounds of the competition
The Organizing Team of the Forum for Young Opera Singers “Krasimira Stoyanova” is pleased to announce the participants selected for the in-person rounds of the competition for young opera singers “Krasimira Stoyanova”, Veliko Tarnovo.
Due to the exceptionally large number of applications submitted and the high artistic level of all participants, the selection committee faced the challenging task of making its choice.
We extend our sincere gratitude to all young opera singers who showed interest and applied for participation. Your talent and motivation are highly appreciated, regardless of the final outcome of the selection.
SELECTED PARTICIPANTS FOR THE IN-PERSON ROUNDS:
| No. | Name and Surname | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Byambaragchaa Khurelbaatar | Mongolia |
| 2 | Elizaveta Peganova | Belarus |
| 3 | Busisiwe Ngejane | South Africa |
| 4 | Dzhavshanashvili Natalia | Russian Federation |
| 5 | Wesley Haotian Yu | China |
| 6 | Narek Vardanyan | Armenia |
| 7 | Ketevan Kardenakhishvili | Georgia, Tbilisi |
| 8 | Madina Abildina | Kazakhstan |
| 9 | Roberta Kolev | Germany |
| 10 | Mziwamadoda Sipho Nodlayiya | Germany |
| 11 | He Qingfang | China |
| 12 | Nevena Goranova Rajkovic | United Kingdom |
| 13 | Avuya Ngcaweni | United States of America |
| 14 | Moyra Yankova | Bulgaria |
| 15 | Hunold Sophie | Germany |
| 16 | Violetta Vasileva | Russian Federation |
| 17 | Ziyodbek Abdimavlonov | Uzbekistan |
| 18 | Xiaoyu Li | China |
| 19 | Adelin Ilca | Romania |
| 20 | Natia Bezhashvili | Georgia |
| 21 | Zhive Kremshovski | North Macedonia |
| 22 | Georgi Beykov | Bulgaria |
| 23 | Eva Zhivkovska | North Macedonia |
| 24 | Elena Soloveva | Russian Federation |
| 25 | Dimitrina Kechedzhieva | Bulgaria |
| 26 | Mattia Hwaeum Lee | South Korea |
| 27 | Yujie Zhou | China |
| 28 | Petra Cik | Croatia |
| 29 | Yuliya Pogrebnyak | Ukraine |
| 30 | Vivien Ivaylo Georgiev | Germany |
| 31 | Irina Bogdanova | Germany |
| 32 | Vladislav Biryukov | Russian Federation |
| 33 | Mirela Aleksandrova | Bulgaria |
| 34 | Yu Ting | China |
| 35 | Dorka Denke | Hungary |
| 36 | Zhasmina Temelkova | Bulgaria |
| 37 | Anastasia Altukhova | Bulgaria |
| 38 | Teodora Tosheva | Bulgaria |
| 39 | Kamilla Karginova | Italy |
| 40 | Tamara Ivanis | Croatia |
| 41 | Irakli Gurgenidze | Georgia |
| 42 | Pelageya Kurennaya | Russian Federation |
| 43 | Yutong Wei | Germany |
| 44 | Gergana Petrova | Bulgaria |
| 45 | Chicu Victoria | Republic of Moldova |
| 46 | Egor Sergeev | Germany |
RESERVES:
| No. | Name and Surname | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liliya Ilieva-Mihaylova | Bulgaria |
| 2 | Katerina Maksimava | Belarus |
| 3 | Yulia Nikanorova | Russian Federation |
| 4 | Zhana Kostova | Bulgaria |
Selected participants are kindly requested to confirm their attendance by sending an email to:
competition.mdtvtarnovo@gmail.com
Confirmation deadline: within 5 (five) calendar days from the date of publication of this notice.
If confirmation is not received within the specified deadline, the organizers reserve the right to invite the next participant from the reserve list.
Sincerely,
Organizing Team
Forum for Young Opera Singers “Krasimira Stoyanova”
Organizers:
The Forum is organized by the Music and Drama Theatre “Konstantin Kisimov” in partnership with Veliko Tarnovo Municipality and with the support of Krassimira Stoyanova.
The project is funded by the European Union through the NextGenerationEU instrument, Contract No. BG-RRP-11.021-0015-C01 “Meta-culture: Veliko Tarnovo” for providing funds to final recipients from the Recovery and Resilience Facility under procedure BG-RRP-11.021 Grant Scheme “New Generation Local Cultural Policies for Large Municipalities”
Format
Young opera singers up to the age of 35 from Bulgaria and abroad may participate in the competition.
It will be conducted in three stages:
- Online selection based on video recordings.
- In-person auditions on the stage of the Music and Drama Theatre “Konstantin Kisimov”.
- Final stage with orchestra – in front of an audience, jury, and representatives of the music industry.
Participation is free of charge.
The application deadline is 31 December 2025.
The Forum offers an exceptional opportunity for young singers to present their talent before an international jury and audience.
JURY
Chair of the jury is Krassimira Stoyanova. The jury consists of distinguished singers with international careers, conductors, vocal coaches, and stage directors. Participants will work with professional répétiteurs and with the orchestra of the Music and Drama Theatre “Konstantin Kisimov” – Veliko Tarnovo.
Honours
The laureates will also receive professional opportunities for artistic development — including participation, auditions, and artistic engagements with partner cultural institutions on Bulgarian and European stages.