Boris Christoff International Competition For Young Singers

It is not by chance that the International Competition for Young Singers began in 1961. Bulgaria succeeded in treasuring its national identity during the thirteen centuries of existence in spite of the lingering yoke of the Ottoman Empire. The folk song is among the first guardians of this identity. Ever since the first decades of the 20th century and especially during the fifties, singers shoot up out of its traditions and the natural vociferousness of the Bulgarians became featured events in the world music culture.

Names like Todor Mazaroff, Elena Nikolai, Ljuba Welitch, Boris Christoff, Dimiter Uzunov, Nikola Nikolov, Nikolai Ghiaurov, Raina Kabaivanska, along with about ten first class choirs soon swept over world vocal stages. This impressive development of vocal phenomena brought about the idea to organize in the capitol, Sofia, an international singing competition where the basic priorities of the opera singer could emerge.

The initiators of the competition, Christo Brambarov, Venelin Krastev and Dimiter Petkov together with many famous Bulgarian and international musicians have participated as members of the international jury.

The young winners of the competition in Sofia quickly gained in popularity. Among the great number of singers recognized on the worldwide stages are winners of the International Competition for Young Opera Singers in Sofia such as; Ghena Dimitrova, Sylvia Saas, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Peter Glossop, Nikola Ghiuselev, Margarite Lilova, Evgeni Nesterenko, Rosalind Plowright, Nancy Tatum, Vladimir Atlantov, Joy Davidson, Stefka Evstatieva, Darina Takova and many others.

The uniqueness of the competition is in the third level of the competition.

To reach the third level, the young singers have to show their concert skills, culture and style. The final test for the singers who have reached the third level is performing a major role in a fully staged complete opera with the famous singers, directors, chorus, orchestra and conductors of the Sofia National Opera.

During the autumn of 1992, right after the Tenth International Competition for Young Opera Singers, a foundation in that same name was established in Sofia with the primary aim to promote the young and gifted singers at the beginning of their artistic career. The principle task of the Foundation is the sponsoring of the traditional International Competition for Young Opera Singers. After the death of the famous Bulgarian opera singer Boris Christoff in 1993, the Competition took his name. The eleventh edition of the Competition was carried out for the first time as the Boris Christoff International Competition for Young Opera Singers. Following an irregular schedule in earlier years, the Competition became quadrennial in 1988.

Representative past winners of the Competition are: