The Vocal Faculty became an independent faculty within the Academy in 1954. With time, it proved to be the leading academic centre in Bulgaria for teaching and training highly skilled professionals in the area of stage arts, pop music and jazz.
A constellation of prominent teachers and artists have intertwined their names within the history of the Vocal Faculty. People like Lyubomir Pipkov, Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin, Hristo Brambarov, Iliya Yosifov, Dragan Kardzhiev raised Bulgarian vocal mastery and performance art to world-class levels, while infusing it with unique Bulgarian flavours.
During the second half of the 20th c. and in the beginning of the 21th c., teachers and alumni from the Vocal Faculty had immense success on opera stages, in concert halls and recording studios around the world. Some of the most notable names include Dimitar Uzunov, Margarita Lilova, Katya Popova, Lilyana Bareva, Gena Dimitrova, Rayna Kabaivanska, Anna Tomowa-Sintow. Asen Selimski, Dimitar Petkov, Stefan Elenkov, Yulia Wiener, Hristina Angelakova, Stoyan Popov, Stefka Evstatieva, Kaludi Kaludov, Stefka Mineva, Boyko Tsvetankov, Emil Ivanov, Vladimir Stoyanov, Mariana Pencheva, Gabrela Georgieva, Kiril Manolov and many others have received prestigious international awards for their work. In recent years, other outstanding artists continue their illustrious legacy with remarkable contributions to world musical culture – Veselina Kazarova, Darina Takova, Tsvetelina Vasileva, Nadezhda Krasteva, Kamen Chanev, Vladimir Stoyanov, Kiril Manolov, Mariana Pencheva, Gabriela Georgieva.
The Vocal Faculty is divided into three departments – Classical Singing, Musical Theatre, and Pop and Jazz Art.
Students at the Classical Singing Department are trained in the principles of “Belcanto singing” and work to develop a basic repertoire. The young singers have the opportunity to participate in the stage performances of the Student Musical Theatre, in concerts and various musical productions. A crucial part of their professional growth comes from the faculty’s ongoing cooperation with the Sofia Opera and Ballet, the Sofia National Musical Theatre, The Stara Zagora Opera, and the Burgas Opera, where students are regularly cast in the stage projects. Another very effective and fruitful way to develop and master their art are the academic contests, the national and international singing competitions, the yearly masterclasses, workshops and seminars.
The Musical Theatre Department is centred around developing the students’ skills in directing, acting and interpretation. The Student Musical Theatre within the department has a rich 50-years-old history and has been the stage for professional performances in all musical genres – from classical and modern opera standards, to operettas and musicals. The main goal of the Student Musical Theatre is to develop and stage productions, produced by the students themselves – as directors and singers, with the help of their professors.
In 1991, two new degree courses were introduced within the Faculty – the Bachelor’s programme Ballet Pedagogy, and the Master’s Ballet Directing, which have proved to be highly successful and sought-after by the students.
The Pop and Jazz Art Department is also very appealing to the young students. Its two branches – vocal and instrumental – are constructed in line with the dynamics of contemporary pop and jazz musical culture. Emblematic names among its graduates are Vasil Naydenov, Georgi Hristov, Veselin Marinov, Vasil Petrov, Vladimir Ampov – Grafa, Margarita Hranova, Neli Rangelova, Petya Buyuklieva, Duet “Riton”, as well as instrumentalists Stoyan Yankulov – Stundji, Petar Slavov – son, Vasil Parmakov, Shibil Benev and others.
DEGREE COURSES AT THE FACULTY
Classical Singing
Chamber Singing
Musical Theatre Directing
Operetta and Musical
Ballet Pedagogy
Ballet Directing
Vocal Pedagogy
Pop and Jazz Singing
Pop and Jazz – Piano, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Double Bass, Flute, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Percussion Instruments
DEANS OF THE FACULTY
Prof. Iliya Yosifov (1912 – 1993)
Prof. Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin (1905 – 1977)
Prof. Sima Ivanova (1923 – 2004)
Prof. Blagovesta Karnobatlova-Dobreva
Prof. Pavel Gerdzhikov
Prof. Resa Koleva (1934 – 2020)
Prof. Alexander Yosifov (1940 – 2016)
Prof. Ilka Popova
Prof. Mila Dyulgerova