Valentina Korchakova

From 2004 onwards Valentina Korchakova appeared as a soloist with the Sofia Philharmonic, in Sofia itself and in Rousse and Burgas. One of those first Sofia evenings, in 2004, placed her on a bill with Raina Kabaivanska; among the colleagues she worked beside in these seasons were Mario Nikolov, Alesia Miljutina, Vesna Ginovska and Eliana Baion. Korchakova studied opera singing at the Pancho Vladigerov State Academy of Music and took masterclasses with Gena Dimitrova and Raina Kabaivanska in 2004. She won first prize at the third Mimi Balkanska operetta and musical competition in 2002 and the Katya Popova national competition for young opera singers in 2003, and since 2003 has been a soloist of the Stefan Makedonski State Music Theatre in Sofia. Her parts there include Saffi in Der Zigeunerbaron, Franziska Cagliari and Countess Zedlau in Wiener Blut, Sylva Varescu in Die Csárdásfürstin, the title role of Gräfin Mariza, Odette Darimonde in Die Bajadere, Madeleine and Daisy in Ball im Savoy, Frasquita, Helena in La belle Hélène, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Hanna Glawari in Die lustige Witwe and Annina in Eine Nacht in Venedig.