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In 1897 the musical society "Kaval" was founded in Stara Zagora with male, female and mixed choirs, soloists and amateur instrumentalists. Several concerts of the Kaval Society, in which excerpts from operas were performed, preceded the first opera performance in the city.
On July 1, 1925 the opera "Gergana" by Maestro Atanasov was premiered. Only a few years after the establishment of the opera house in Sofia, this event marked the beginning of the Stara Zagora Opera. On 22 March 1928 it was announced as the South Bulgarian Regional Opera. From March 1933 it continued its activities with its own management. Its first director was Dimitar Hristov. On May 14, 1934 the Opera was named Stara Zagora Municipal Opera. In 1946, the state, which until then had partially supported its activities, appreciating its contribution to our culture, fully assumed its maintenance.
In 1971 a new modern building was built - the first building in Bulgaria built specifically for opera. In 1967, the first music festival was held in Stara Zagora - December Music Days. With the inauguration of the new страда it grew into the Festival of Opera and Ballet Art.
In 1991 the Opera House in Stara Zagora was destroyed by fire. Invaluable scenery, stage costumes and equipment were scorched. Despite the difficult conditions in which the opera company was placed, it did not cease to create and delight the audience in various halls in the city. After many years of collecting funds for the restoration of the building, including through donation accounts from patriotic citizens, finally with the exceptional financial assistance of the Municipality of Stara Zagora, the renovation is completed and on October 5, 2010 (the Feast of the City of Stara Zagora), with the premiere of the opera "Carmen" by Georges Bizet - the doors of the most beautiful opera building in Bulgaria are reopened.
Today, the Stara Zagora State Opera House is a theatre with a rich repertoire of opera, operetta, ballet and children's performances, and the orchestra periodically gives symphony concerts. The opera is a welcome guest on the stages of other municipalities in Bulgaria. It has also performed with great success on international stages, both in Europe and America.
Anyone who has been in the Opera House feels the wonderful energy that has gathered, that moves invisibly... The Opera House is home to a modern, spacious building, a real gem in the cultural palette of Bulgaria at the beginning of the 21st century. Here we touch the memories, hear the voices of the past, here many dreams are born and realized. The Opera House - a modern home for modern people who have the courage to go forward, striving forward on the path of art. No matter how hard it is, no matter how much it hurts... Thus the joy of every success is even greater. Thus satisfaction and enjoyment are more complete and pure.
The people of Stara Zagora are people who did not stop pursuing their dream and did not let it fly away - to raise their Opera House after the fire. They are people in love with traditions and art. Stara Zagora is an extraordinary city that only in recent years has a new Museum, Gallery, Library - a memory preserved in stone, in books, in sheet music and in canvas...
Stara Zagora is a unique city where, as the poet says, "Invisible muses wander...".
The House of Muses - the Opera House of Stara Zagora - welcomes us graciously and opens its doors for every performance. Our Opera House's birthday is a day for joy, gratitude and tribute! For dreams and hopes, which artists and audience, all together turn into reality!