National Opera and Ballet

Overview

The National Opera and Ballet is a cultural institution in Sofia for opera and ballet productions.

The Bulgarian Opera Society was founded in 1908, when it presented its first productions. The first opera was performed the following year (1909) - "Clowns" by Leoncavallo, followed by the performances of the first operas by Bulgarian composers - "Poor Woman" by Emanuil Manolov, "Kamen and Tsena" by Ivan Ivanov, "Borislav" by Maestro Georgi Atanasov, "Tahir Begovitsa" by Dimitar Hadjigeorgiev and others.

In 1928, the first professional ballet group emerged in Sofia.

The building which houses currently the National Opera and Ballet was designed in 1921 by arch. Lazar Parashkevanov, but its construction began only in 1947. It was completed in 1953. Тhe building was renovated In 2007.

The capacity is 948 seats and the small stage - 120 seats.