Stefka Evstatieva ( bg, Стефка Евстатиева) (born 7 May 1947) is a
Bulgarian operatic
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...
. Born in
Ruse,
People's Republic of Bulgaria, she studied voice at the State Academy of Music in
Sofia with
Elena Kisselova
Elena may refer to:
People
* Elena (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name
* Joan Ignasi Elena (born 1968), Catalan politician
* Francine Elena (born 1986), British poet
Geography
* Elena (town), a town in Veliko ...
(Елена Кисельова). She began her career with the Ruse Opera where she made her debut as Amelia in ''
Un ballo in maschera'' and sang there from 1971 to 1979. In 1974 Stefka Evstatieva won the second prize at the
International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. (No first prize was awarded). In 1978 she won the Grand Prize of Belgian Radio & TV Belcanto Competition; in 1979 Grand Prize and Golden Ring in the Young Singers Competition in Sofia; and in 1982 the Best Performance Award at the
Arena di Verona.
She joined the Sofia National Opera in 1978, and began to appear internationally two years later with debuts at the
Vienna State Opera in 1980, the
Munich State Opera
The Bayerische Staatsoper is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bayerische Staatsorchester.
History
The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under Ele ...
and the Royal Opera in 1981 and the
Arena di Verona and
La Scala
La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...
in 1983. Additional engagements included Paris, Rome, Brussels,
Buenos Aires, Berlin, Canada and Frankfurt. Her debut in the United States was singing Lisa in ''
The Queen of Spades'' with the
Philadelphia Opera
Opera Philadelphia (prior to 2013 Opera Company of Philadelphia (OCP)) is an American opera company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is the city's only company producing grand opera. The organization produces one festival in September (Festival O ...
in 1983, then followed performances in San Francisco and
Dallas in 1984 and 1986, with additional engagements in New Orleans,
Miami and
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...
. Her
Metropolitan Opera debut was on April 9, 1984 singing Élisabeth de Valois in ''
Don Carlos''.
In addition to performing as a concert singer her major operatic roles included Aida, Donna Elvira,
Desdemona, Leonora in ''
Forza del Destino
' (; ''The Power of Fate'', often translated ''The Force of Destiny'') is an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on a Spanish drama, ' (1835), by Ángel de Saavedra, 3rd Duke of Rivas, ...
'', Maddalena in ''
Andrea Chénier
''Andrea Chénier'' () is a verismo opera in four acts by Umberto Giordano, set to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica, and first performed on 28 March 1896 at La Scala, Milan. The story is based loosely on the life of the French poet Andr ...
'', Élisabeth de Valois in Don Carlos, Amelia and the Russian roles of Lisa and Tatyana.
In 2004, Stefka Evstatieva helped establish the
and has been a compensated advisor since 2009.
Sources
*Henshenson, Roberta
"Tosca' Helps Reveal a Woman's Character" ''
New York Times'' 15 October 1995
*
Metropolitan OperaPerformance record: Evstatieva, Stefka (Soprano)on th
*O'Connor, John
''New York Times'', 9 April 1984
*
University of Pittsburgh, (University Center for International Studies)
Stefka Evstatieva, soprano
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evstatieva, Stefka
1947 births
Living people
20th-century Bulgarian women opera singers
People from Ruse, Bulgaria
Bulgarian sopranos