Bulgaria National Opera (Sofia National Opera)

The European professional music tradition took root in Bulgaria after the country’s liberation from the control of the Ottoman Empire. In 1890, when Bulgaria was a small nation at the crossroads of East and West in politically and economically unstable circumstances, the national opera theatre in Sofia was completed. For Bulgarian opera, the theatre became a center for the development of talented artists with successful international careers. Drawing inspiration from west European and Russian opera houses, the Sofia Opera and Ballet learned from Italian bel canto and classic Russian opera as it developed its own style.