Reviżjonijiet tal-Produzzjoni Passata
1On May 11, the day on which the Bulgarian Orthodox Church pays homage to Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Aurenda Heritage Foundation is organizing in Toronto, Canada, a concert with the participation of one of the best contemporary Bulgarian basses Geo Chobanov and the talented mezzo-soprano Mila Ionkova. The event entitled "The Magic of Bulgarian Voices" will feature arias and duets by Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi, Gounod, Bizet and Pancho Vladigerov, as well as Neapolitan canzonettas, Russian romances and Bulgarian songs. "We chose the title "The Magic of Bulgarian Voices" for the simple reason that Bulgaria is home to incredible talents”, says Emiliana Blagoeva, director of the organizing foundation. “These talents have existed since the time of Ancient Thrace. We know that Orpheus was a Thracian, i.e. according to many sources, he was born on the territory of modern Bulgaria. This singing talent is also traced further - in the unique intonations and rhythms of Bulgarian folklore. In the 20th century, the procession of Bulgarian opera talents took place on world stages and it was called the Bulgarian opera miracle”. The concert which will be held at the City Playhouse Theatre aims to bring together Bulgarians living in Canada, as well as a Canadian audience, representatives of the local Jewish, Russian-speaking and Italian communities. "There are opera singers who give us the chills when they sing. There are others who, no matter how technical, sing to express their ego. Such music cannot take us to the higher spiritual levels. This is exactly why the goal of our foundation is to give the opportunity for the performance of these true musical talents, whose singing can change us for the better," explains Emiliana Blagoeva, who is a yoga teacher. Basso Geo Chobanov is a graduate of the Pancho Vladigerov National Academy of Music in Sofia. He is currently a soloist at the Varna Opera House, and has also been a soloist at the Sofia and Ruse Operas Houses, he has a number of appearances on European stages. He participated in productions such as The Barber of Seville, Don Juan, Attila, Don Carlos and others. In 2022, when she returned to Bulgaria for the summer vacation, Emiliana Blagoeva came across a production of Verdi's Nabucco at the Summer Theatре of Varna. Due to a change in the line-up, Geo Chobanov appeared on the stage in the role of Zakaria. "When he started to sing, as a person practicing yoga and feeling the subtle energies, I was struck by his incredible voice and the incredible change of setting, the very vibrations. I got chills," Emiliana shares, talking to Radio Bulgaria’s Miglena Ivanova. Then, by the artist's name, she remembers that when she was a teenager, in the summer of 1992, he attended her meditation classes in Varna, and decided to contact him. Later, Geo Chobanov shared that it was during that summer that he made the decision to dedicate himself to opera singing. When the two met, the idea of a concert for the Bulgarian audience in Canada was born. "Mila Ionkova is an outstanding musician, teacher, conductor. She specialized in opera singing. She has been living in Toronto for over 20 years and is actively involved in local productions. She started her musical career in Bulgaria. She graduated from the Lyubomir Pipkov National Music School and the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts "Prof. Asen Diamandiev" in Plovdiv. She has played professionally in several symphony orchestras in Europe as principal oboist. In Toronto, in addition to her artistic performances, she teaches piano and singing to children". The Bulgarian community in Canada is already looking forward to the concert "The Magic of Bulgarian Voices" with the participation of Geo Chobanov and Mila Ionkova. There is even already a proposal for a second concert in Calgary in the Canadian province of Alberta. Photos: Private archive, BNR archive Translated and published by Rositsa Petkova
