Sofia Opera and Ballet delights music lovers with summer open-air festivals

At the beginning of June, opera enthusiasts in Sofia were unpleasantly surprised by the news that Sofia National Opera and Ballet was cancelling all performances of the traditional “Opera in the Square” festival, which had been scheduled to take place between July 9 and August 9 in front of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the capital city. The management of the Sofia Opera and Ballet apologized and explained that the measure was due to financial restrictions stemming from the absence of a state budget for 2026.

However, about a week later, the Sofia National Opera and Ballet announced that the festival—beloved by both the residents and visitors of the capital—would, after all, take place during the same period, albeit with some changes.  

The scheduled performances of ''Cavalleria Rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are a co-production with three Italian houses in Modena, Piacenza and Ravenna.

An important piece of news for opera fans: the celebrated Georgian operatic soprano Nino Machaidze will perform the role of Nedda in ''Pagliacci'' on 15 and 17 July. Having launched her international career at Milan's La Scala, she has been dubbed by the European press as the “Angelina Jolie of opera.”

Since the planned large-scale musical ''Les Misérables'' requires enormous artistic resources, the organizers decided to replace it with an exceptionally popular production that audiences typically sing and dance along to: Mamma Mia!.

The spiritual bridge between the Patriarchal Cathedral and the square is ''The Hermit of Rila'', dedicated to Saint John of Rila, the heavenly protector and patron saint of Bulgaria.

Based on a musical poem by Father Kiril Popov, the production was staged at the festival’s previous two editions and can be seen again this year on August 1.

The finale of “Opera in the Square” festival on 9 August will will join the world in marking the 100th anniversary of the premiere of Giacomo Puccini’s ''Turandot''. The performance, conducted by the renowned Daniel Oren, will feature stars of the international stage — Ekaterina Semenchuk and Jorge de León.

A week before “Opera in the Square” (On July 2), another popular festival organized by the Sofia Opera and Ballet begins — “Muses of the Water”. In recent years, every summer the beloved Lake Pancharevo has been transformed into a true realm of ballet. Plamen Kartalov shared that the idea for the Sofia Opera ballet company to perform an excerpt from ''Swan Lake'' during the Giro d'Italia 2026 was proposed by their partners from Sofia Municipality. They asked the Opera to help create spectacular visuals that could be captured by the race’s camera crews: “And I said — fine. But in May… what will the weather be like? I suggested to Marta (Marta Petkova — Artistic Director of the Sofia Opera and Ballet) that we come up with a ballet with coats, with costumes, if necessary with hats and boots, because we don’t know what the weather will be like. Marta said — no! Whatever happens, we are performing ''Swan Lake''! And it was absolutely beautiful. This is a joint initiative between Sofia Municipality and the Sofia Opera. That is how we became known around the world with our Lake Pancharevo… We are preparing the new season and waiting for the budget to be approved… We are the only ones in the world who do not know what funding we have available.... So, despite politicians’ claims that the state treasury is empty, ours should be full. Because we have the confidence and the determination to move forward together with you — our esteemed journalists and our audience, which is now an international one”, concluded Academician Plamen Kartalov.

At the press conference, the Artistic Director of the Sofia Opera and Ballet, Marta Petkova, said that “Muses of the Water” at Lake Pancharevo is an undertaking that requires extensive logistics: transportation, stage construction, lighting and sound. Careful study of the weather conditions is also essential. “Many people work on these major festivals, and I am very proud that we have them, because I have always spoken with admiration about where I work, and I am proud of the institution I am part of”, Marta Petkova said.

Seven performances are planned for this summer. In addition to ''Swan Lake'', audiences will be able to enjoy much-loved productions such as ''Zorba the Greek'', with music by Mikis Theodorakis, and ''A Midsummer Night’s Dream'', with music by Felix Mendelssohn.

“This is truly a much-loved stage for us ballet artists. We can’t wait to step into the water itself — it brings a sense of calm. This stage is becoming better organized every year, and I am delighted that it is renewed each year and becomes more and more charming. So I would also like to welcome the audience and invite them to join us”, says Marta Petkova.

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov