Bulgarian-Canadian New Year’s Gala brings the magic of classical music to Toronto

There will also be a concert of Church Slavonic music at the local Bulgarian church St. Dimitar

published on 12/9/24 8:17 AM

George Weston Recital Hall

Photo: tso.ca

As the New Year approaches, Bulgarian and Canadian musicians will perform together on stage in Toronto, bringing the magic of classical music to the cosmopolitan Canadian city. The concert Salute to 2025 will take place on 28 December in George Weston Recital Hall at the Meridian Arts Centre – one of the most significant cultural spaces in the city. It is organized by Emiliana Blagoeva, a member of the Aurenda Heritage Foundation, bringing together three Bulgarian ladies living in Canada.

“Our special guest from Bulgaria is basso Geo Chobanov, who, due to the great interest, is returning to Canada for the fourth time. His partner will be soprano Alexa Frankian, an extraordinarily talented young singer who will come for the New Year’s Gala from Philadelphia. They will be performing to the accompaniment of the famous symphony orchestra Kindred Spirits, under the expert baton of Bulgarian conductor Kristian Alexander,” says Emiliana Blagoeva. Host of the concert will be Mark Wigmore from the classical Zoomer Radio – the radio station in Toronto with the biggest outreach in North America.
Maestro Kristian Alexander

The concert will feature “The marriage of Figaro”, and the celebrated arias of Leporello from Mozart’s Don Juan, the arias of Don Basilio from Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, of Mephistopheles from Charles Gounod’s Faust, works by Puccini, Verdi, Bizet and other composers. We are also planning a second charity concert of church Slavonic music at the Bulgarian church St. Dimitar,” says Emiliana Blagoeva.

The New Year’s Gala was inspired by the traditional New Year’s concerts in Vienna.

“What better than sending off the old year and ringing in the new year with the magic of classical music,” Blagoeva says. The arias selected for the programme are from different ages and in different styles, and are sure to give opera lovers and a wider audience immense pleasure. “Seeing as the language of music is universal, I sincerely hope to see a bigger Canadian audience,” says Emilana Blagoeva in an interview with Radio Bulgaria. The two Bulgarian names are expected to bring in many Bulgarians.

The concert is sponsored by Mrs. Dimitrina Kaneva, wife of the prominent Bulgarian philanthropist, the late Ignat Kaneff.

Asked to what an extent Canadians are familiar with Bulgarian opera, Emiliana Blagoeva answers:

“Last month I met with Johannes Debus, Music Director of the biggest opera house in Canada – Canadian Opera Company. I said I was from Europe and he asked me where from exactly. I said I was from the country of the world’s top bassos, and he had no hesitation: “Oh, you are from Bulgaria!” Otherwise, I wouldn’t say opera is a popular art with the average Canadian. In Canada, as in Europe, opera is still an elite form of art.”

Emiliana Blagoeva says that opera lovers in Canada are familiar with the art of quite a few Bulgarians who have performed on Canadian stages, among them Nuni Nanev, dubbed the Bulgarian Beniamino Gigli, who popularized Slavic music in Canada for 30 years, Kamen Chanev, the tenor the Canadian audience loves, another tenor - Michail Svetlev, sopranos Zvetelina Vassileva and Alexandrina Pendatchanska, and now, for the fourth time basso Geo Chobanov, who enthralls audiences with the incredible depth and beauty of his voice.

Being Bulgarian, for Emiliana presenting Bulgarian performers has a special meaning:
Emiliana Blagoeva

“Because I believe that we, Bulgarians, have an incredible musical and singing talent which goes back to the times of Orpheus, then goes on with the unique rhythms of Bulgarian folklore to reach the world opera stages with magnificent performers like Boris Christoff, Ghena Dimitrova, Raina Kabaivanska, Krassimira Stoyanova and many more. I also believe that music, especially opera singing, has the capacity of uniting people and making us better persons, especially now that there are wars and uncertainty. I am sure small Bulgaria has a lot to show Canada when it comes to opera.”

The idea of the New Year’s Gala in Toronto goes beyond throwing a cultural bridge between Bulgaria and Canada. The proceeds from the event will be used for charity, as is the mission of the Aurenda Heritage Foundation – to help young talents, most of all opera singers, and to popularize Bulgarian art overseas.

Translated and posted by Milena Daynova
Photos courtesy of Emiliana Blagoeva, Facebook/Emiliana Blagoeva, kristianalexander.com

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Bulgarian-Canadian New Year’s Gala brings the magic of classical music to Toronto

There will also be a concert of Church Slavonic music at the local Bulgarian church St. Dimitar

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