site.btaOpera Prima Stefka Evstatieva Dies After Short Illness

Opera prima Stefka Evstatieva passed away November 9 after a short illness, Stanislav Pochekanski, chairman of the Union of Bulgarian Music and Dance Artists, told BTA.

In recent days, Evstatieva had been hospitalized in Sofia. The news of her passing was confirmed by the husband of the opera prima in a conversation with Bulgarian folk singer Tatyana Sarbinska.

Stefka Evstatieva was born on May 7, 1947. She sang with the Ruse Opera (1971–1978). From April 1, 1978, until the early 1990s, she was a soloist with the Sofia Opera. For more than 15 years, she performed on the world’s greatest opera stages — in Paris, Milan, London, New York, Vienna, and others.

Since the early 1990s, she had lived with her family in New Rochelle, New York, USA. In 2004, she was one of the founders of the Bulgarian children’s choir Gergana in New York. The choir was named after her student Gergana, who is its conductor, while Stefka Evstatieva served as the choir’s vocal coach.

She was the recipient of the Second Prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Russia (1974); the Grand Prize of the Jury for Bel Canto Singing and the Audience Award for Ensemble Singing in Ostend, Belgium (1978); the Grand Prize of the 7th International Competition for Young Opera Singers in Sofia (1979); and the “Giovanni Zanella” Prize of the Arena di Verona, Italy, for Best Performer of the Year (1982).

She was awarded the Order of Sts Cyril and Methodius with Necklace in 2018.