Ignat Zhelev

Ignat Zhelev, a bass from Stara Zagora, began in opera in Plovdiv, where his first production was Verdi's Otello under Dobrin Petkov. In 1988 he was awarded a prize at Nikola Ghiuselev's open lessons in Sofia, and the following year he joined the opera house of his native Stara Zagora, where he still sings. Touring has taken him through Europe and Asia with Teatro Lirico d'Europa and the Plovdiv and Burgas companies — Nabucco in France, Germany and the Netherlands, Aida in Italy, the Czech Republic and Mexico. His roles include Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Colline in La bohème, Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte and Kuno in Der Freischütz.