Staller Center for the Arts

presents

Opera Verdi Europa

in

The Barber of Seville

(Il Barbiere di Seviglia)

Opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini

Text by Cesare Sterbini based on Beaumarchais

Premiere on February 20, 1816 at Teatro Argentina

The Cast

Conte Almaviva Stoyan Daskalov

Rosina Dessislava Stefanova

Figaro Bisser Georgiev, Ivan Kabamitov

Don Basilio Diman Panchev

Bartolo Pavel Gerdjikov

Berta Petya Tsoneva

Servants, Notary, Constable, Musicians, and Soldiers

Conductor Nayden Todorov

Stage director Pavel Gerdjikov

Set designer Ivan Yordanov

Costume Designer Ivan Yordanov

English supertitles by Celeste Montemarano, courtesy of New York City Opera.

There will be one intermission.

A strobe light will be used during the performance.

Please turn off all cell phones.

Programs are subject to change.

Opera Verdi Europa exemplifies the vibrancy and sophistication of Bulgarian opera. Established in 1996 by Ivan Kyurkchiev, the company has consistently presented spectacular productions that combine the opera worlds of Bulgaria and the whole of Europe. The performances are collaborative productions of Bulgaria’s major opera houses—houses in which many eminent singers, such as Orlin Anastassov and Dario Volonte, started their world-class careers. That such renowned singers have made their debuts with Opera Verdi reflects the company’s premiere quality and artistic significance. The company collaborates not only with Bulgarian opera theatres and symphony orchestras (among which include the Sofia National Opera, Sofia Radio Orchestra and Mixed Choir, Sofia Symphony Orchestra, Plovdiv Opera and Philharmonic Society, Varna Opera and Philharmonic Society, Burgas Opera and Philharmonic Society, and the Stara Zagora Opera Theater), but also with opera houses from Bucharest (Romania), Budapest (Hungary), Chisinau (Moldovia), Kiev (Ukraine), and Theatre Nemirovich-Danchenko (Russia).

Opera Verdi’s rapid artistic and professional development over the past decade can be attributed largely to the premiere leadership provided by distinguished conductors such as Nayden Todorov, Metodi Matakiev, Luciano di Martino, Georgi Chaprazov, Krassimira Kostova and Hristo Ignatov, stage directors Boyko Bogdanov, Nina Naydenova, Kuzman Popov and Pavel Gerdjikov, choreographers Boryana Sechanova, Krzyzstof Pastor and Craig Revel Horwood, set designer Radostin Chomokov and costume designers Petya Stoykova and Radostina Chomakova. The members of the orchestra, choir and ballet are carefully selected from among the best of Bulgaria’s musicians, singers and dancers. These accomplished artists, coupled with Opera Verdi’s roster of renowned soloists, have enabled the company to grace each production with an inspiring artistic maturity.

Opera Verdi’s repertoire includes a wide range of operatic works: Otello, Nabucco, Aida, Madamma Butterfly, Turandot, Il Trovatore, Tosca, La Boheme, Rigoletto, Gioconda, Carmen, The Pearl Fishers, Macbeth, Carmina Burana (in a staged production), Don Carlo, La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor, Un Ballo in Maschera, Ernani, Il Pagliacci, Cavalleria Rusticana and productions of the Mozart and Verdi Requiems, among other works.

Through its celebrated performances, Opera Verdi Europa has gained undisputed international recognition, appearing regularly on Europe’s most prestigious opera stages. Included in the catalog of the company’s most celebrated performances are the ‘super-productions’ of La Traviata at the München Olympiahalle, Carmen in Arnhem, Nabucco and Rigoletto in Rotterdam, and Aida at the Arena auf Schalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

Opera Verdi’s open-air performances that tour throughout Europe also deserve special mention among the company’s successes. Perhaps most memorable is the company’s presentation of Aida at the unique natural stage of Castelgrande (“The Great Castle”) in Bellinzona, Switzerland during its Third Opera Festival. The performance featured soloists Orlin Anastassov, Bojko Tsvetanov and Emilia Boteva, with the participation of the State Philharmonic Orchestra and the choir of the Opera House of Plovdiv under the baton of Italian maestro Luciano di Martino.

The company begins its third tour of the United States of America under the auspices of Columbia Artists Management, LLC in September 2005.

About the Artists

Stoyan Daskalaov

Tenor

Mr. Daskalov began his operatic career as a soloist for the State Opera House in Ruse, Bulgaria in 1985, where he continued to perform for the next 10 years. In 1996 he became soloist of the State Opera House in Stara, Zagora, and most recently in 2004 he came to the State Opera House in Plovdiv, Bulgaria where he currently performs. Mr. Daskalov has been a Guest Artist at many reputable house around the world including: the Alte Opera (Frankfurt), Grosses Festspielhaus ( Salzburg), The stage of the Berliner Philharmoniker, and various other houses in Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Holland, Italy, and the United States. His repertoire includes: Verdi’s Don Carlos, Attila, Rigoletto; Puccini’s Tosca; Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore; Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana; and Bizet’s Carmen.

Dessislava Stefanova

Soprano

The Bulgarian soprano Dessislava Stefanova was born in 1974. At the age of 10 she began studying violoncello and had a number of stage performances in Bulgaria and abroad (Italy, France) with the symphony orchestra of her native town, Kyustendil. In 2000 she graduated with a degree in English and American studies, from the Sofia University, Bulgaria. She began singing lessons in 1998 entering the State Academy of Music in Sofia, under the tutelage of Prof. Blagovesta Karnobatlova. In 2002 she was a finalist at the Belvedere contest in Vienna. In 2004 she made her stage debut as The Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute. The same year she had a number of stage performances as The Queen of the Night in Germany. Since 2004 she has been a soloist at the State Opera House, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, where her roles include: Gilda, Rigoletto – Verdi; Julia, La Scala di Seta – Rossini; Rosina, Il Barbiere di Seviglia – Rossini; and Musetta, La Boheme - Puccini. Her repertoire includes: Lucia di Lammermoor – Donizetti; Adele in Die Fledermaus – J. Strauss; and Cunegonde in Candide – Bernstein.

Bisser Georgiev

Baritone

In 1995, after receiving a Master’s Degree in classical singing from the Pancho Vladigerov State Academy of Music in Sofia, Biser Georgiev made his debut in Mozart’s Bastien and Bastienna (Germany). Since 1998 he has been a soloist with the Bulgarian National Opera House in Sofia and has appeared as a Guest Artist in Germany, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Holland, Italy, France, and the United States. Mr. Georgiev has performed the main baritone roles in several productions including: Rigoletto, Aida, La Traviata, Madame Butterfly, La Boheme, Carmen, Don Giovanni, and Il Barbiere di Seviglia.

Ivan Kabamitov

Baritone

A Laureate of the both the International Competition for Young Opera Singers “PALDIN” in Plovdiv, Bulgaria ‘02 and the XII International Competition for Young Singers “Boris Christoff” in Sofia, Bulgaria ‘00, Ivan Kabamitov has an a solid technique in Opera as well as in Art Song. A Native Bulgarian, he has studied music at home and abroad. Mr. Kabamitov holds a degree in Opera Singing from the State Academy of Music in Sophia, Bulgaria and several international Specializations. His repetiore includes: Tonio in Il Pagliacci by Leoncavallo, Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni, Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni & Papageno in The Magic Flute by Mozart, & Jago in Otello by Verdi.

Diman Panchev

Bass

Mr. Panchev made his operatic debute as Zaestro in Mozart’s Magic Flute with the National Opera in Sophia, Bulgaria (’91). He is a First Prize winner of the International Vocal Competition “Callosa del Saria” (Alicante, Spain ‘98). Mr. Panchev has performed as a Guest Artist in houses and festivals around the world including: Teatro Carre (Amsterdam), The Ravinia Festival (IL, USA), Opera Festival in Bellinzona (Switzerland), Grosses Festspielhaus (Salzburg, Austria), and in Concert w/ Nikolay Gedda in Ossiach (Austria). His repertoire includes: Verdi’s Don Carlos, Rigoletto and Nabucco; Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Seviglia; and Mozart’s Requiem. Mr. Panchev has made several recordings including a 1997 solo recording available on Artenova - LC 3480 and a Liturgical Songs CD on München JMP - LC 8870.

Petya Tsoneva

Mezzo-soprano

Ms. Zoneva has studied under Professor Blagovesta Karnobatlova at the Music Academy in Sofia, and has been performing with Opera Verdi Europa in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, England, Switzerland, and France. Her roles include Maddalena, Rigoletto; Fennena, Nabucco, Amneris, Aida; Principessa Eboli, Don Carlos; Azucena, Il Trovatore; Carmen, Carmen; Berta, Il Barbiere di Seviglia; Alisa, Lucia di Lammermoor; Suzuki, Madamma Butterfly; Cavalleria Rusticana Santuzza; the Stabat Mater of Pergolesi and the Mozart Requiem.

Prof. Pavel Gerdzhikov

Director/Tenor

The art of Pavel Gerdzhikov stands at the height of Bulgarian musical culture. His creative talent and versatility fosters his enduring musical achievements. Gerdzhikov’s absolute devotion to his career as an opera singer, director, pedagogue, public figure and publicist, coupled with his remarkable professionalism, breathe life into his rich creative work. Professor Gerdzhikov graduated from the State Academy of Music in Sofia in the class of Prof. Ana Todorova, Prof. Ilia Yossifov and Prof. Lyubomir Pipkov. He became a laureate of the Enesco and Erkel Competitions and a First Prize winner of the Second Competition for Young Opera Singers in Sofia. Tours with the cast of the Sofia National Opera House have won him enormous public recognition, as have his guest performances at the Salzburg and Glyndebourne Festivals, the Nancy and Reims Theatres, including numerous other concerts throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America. Professor Gerdzhikov has also an active participant on recordings. He lectures on acting and stage direction at the Sofia Academy of Music, where he is currently a professor.