From August 27 to 29, Bansko Opera Fest will once again turn Bansko into a city of classical art. The festival is held under the auspices of the Municipality of Bansko, in partnership with Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko, and is organized by Monte Productions. In the three festival evenings, the audience will see the musical "Notre Dame De Paris", the comic opera "Don Pasquale" and an opera-operetta gala with the special participation of Orlin Pavlov.
For the second year in a row, the festival will go beyond the main stage - with accompanying classical performances in front of the Tourist Information Center and on May 24 Square. After the completely sold-out VIP area in 2025, Bansko Opera Fest will once again offer a limited number of VIP seats, which are already on sale in the Eventim network. These include a seat in the central sector, a glass of sparkling wine, light catering before the start of the performances and an opportunity for photos with the soloists after the evening.
On August 27, the festival opens with “Notre Dame De Paris” to music by Ricardo Cochante and Luc Plamondon. The production by director Petko Bonev and conductor Stratsimir Pavlov combines scenography, costumes, choreography and 3D mapping, and the emblematic story of Victor Hugo will come to life in the original French language with Bulgarian subtitles. The orchestration is by Danko Yordanov. The roles of Esmeralda and Quasimodo are Lilia Ilieva-Mihaylova and Velin Mihaylov, together with the orchestra, choir and ballet of the Varna State Opera.
Notre Dame De Paris, foto: Monte Production promo
On August 28, the program continues with “Don Pasquale” by Gaetano Donizetti — one of the most beloved comic operas in the world bel canto repertoire. Under the baton of Svetoslav Borisov and directed by Srebrina Sokolova, the performance brings together on one stage the American tenor Samuel Robertson as Ernesto - an artist with experience on European stages, including the Vienna State Opera and the Leipzig Opera, Alexandrina Mihaylova as Norina, Svilen Nikolov as Doctor Malatesta and Evgeniy Stanimirov as Don Pasquale.
The finale on August 29 is an opera-operetta gala with the special participation of Orlin Pavlov. Together with him on the stage will appear Alexandrina Mihaylova, a student of Raina Kabaivanska, singing at the La Scala in Milan, Zhana Kostova, Liliya Ilieva-Mihaylova, Samuel Robertson, Velin Mihaylov and Svilen Nikolov, under the baton of Svetoslav Borisov and with the orchestra of the Varna State Opera.
