The competition for young opera singers named after Bulgaria's greatest basso of all time Boris Christoff was part of the calendar of his 100th birth anniversary celebrations. The event was organized by the Boris Christoff foundation jointly with the Sofia Opera that has provided a stage to its young contenders. Ten opera hopefuls from Bulgaria, Russia, the United Kingdom and Belarus reached the finals of the competition.

This year, the jury at the 15th International Competition for Young Opera Singers Boris Christoff did not award a Grand Prix. Its Chairperson was famous mezzosoprano and vocal pedagogue Alexandrina Milcheva. She voiced regret that for various reasons three of the male singers having sent recordings for the competition's first round had later dropped out.

The gala concert of winners is tonight. In the male category, the first prize and a gold medal went to Russian baritone Konstantin Brjinskiy. He has been trained in Kazan and Moscow. The sliver was awarded to Bulgarian basso Delian Slavov.

More about the 15th International Competition for Young Opera Singers Boris Christoff from the Chairperson of the jury, Alexandrina Milcheva:

"I am happy for Bulgarian contender Delian who has got a quality voice and impressive looks. He needs to develop his skills further but being so young we hope to see his talent flourish in the future. I am glad to have heard such a beautiful Bulgarian voice. Overall, I have seen a good potential as both technique and voice volume in some participants but they have to work harder and learn more. There are two promising Bulgarian female singers. However, they should count not only on the power of their voices but also manage them, the way a skilled instrumentalist does. In the art of opera interpretation is vital, and it requires vocal culture. For the first time, mostly for financial reasons, the third round of the competition included appearances with an orchestra but not participation in an opera show. This was enough to single out the best though.”

In the group of female singers, the competition's jury did not award a first prize. The second one went to Russian soprano Natalia Dmitrievskaya, and the third, to Bulgarian Nona Krastnikova. The special prize for the best rendition of a Bulgarian song was given to Ekaterina Kuprievskaya from Belarus, and for the best piano accompaniment to Bulgarian Miglena Slavova.

English Daniela Konstantinova