State Opera – Stara Zagora

The first opera outside the capital attracts the audience with its rich repertoire, international ballet company, outdoor stages and innovative art forms.

It was opened on July 1, 1925 with the opening night of „Gergana Opera“. Over the years, its repertoire was enriched and the Regional Opera became a state cultural institute in 1946.

The Opera House in Stara Zagora is the first one in Bulgaria, built specifically for opera theatre and inaugurated in 1971. The new parametres of the stage as capacity and technical capabilities allow all the richness of opera and ballet repertoire to be presented, as well as the biggest names in the theatre in the country and abroad to visit the Opera House of Stara Zagora. The December Music Days, founded in 1967 and grown into Opera and Ballet Festival in 1974, are without doubt among the most prestigious music forums and well-established events.

In 1991, the Opera House was destroyed by a fire. Priceless decors,  stage costumes, unique tapestries, the crystal chandeliers, specially imported from Italy, have been incinerated. After nearly two decades, the renovated building was opened on October 5, 2010, on the official Day of Stara Zagora, with Georges Bizet’s „Carmen“ opera premiered.

State opera – Stara Zagora is a theatre with a diverse programme and rich repertoire of opera, operetta, ballet, children's performances, concerts, etc. It has been on guest performances at home and abroad. 

In the middle of the summer, the Ancient Forum revives with the beauty and emotion of the Music Evenings, and in the last few years the Opera in the Stadium Festival is an event that has managed to bring to its stage some of the best performers from Bulgaria and Europe.