Bulgarian Concert Evenings in New York Opens Season with Evstatieva Gala

Bulgarian Concert Evenings in New York will open its 2026-27 season with an Opening Night Gala in memory of Bulgarian soprano Stefka Evstatieva. The concert takes place Oct. 27 at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and begins at 7:30 p.m. local time.

The tribute program spans opera, art song, chamber music, and Bulgarian repertoire. Composers on the program include Puccini, Mendelssohn, Verdi, Amy Beach, Manuel de Falla, Dvořák, David Ludwig, Boito, Pancho Vladigerov, and Parashkev Hadjiev.

The gala will include the world premiere of "Nightingale," composed in Evstatieva's memory by Bulgarian American composer and pianist Lora Al-Ahmad.

The performer list brings together singers and instrumentalists. Sopranos Jihye Jang, Jihye Seo, and Britt Hewitt will perform alongside mezzo-soprano Mariana Karpatova. The instrumental contingent comprises violinists Georgy Valtchev and Stanichka Dimitrova, violist Alexandrina Boyanova, cellist Ari Evan, and pianists Al-Ahmad, Anna Stoytcheva, and Lora Tchekoratova.

The mix of standard European repertoire and Bulgarian composers such as Vladigerov and Hadjiev, paired with a new work by Al-Ahmad, signals the series' dual mission: honoring a major Bulgarian voice while anchoring that tradition within Carnegie Hall's contemporary programming. The Oct. 27 gala sets the tone for the organization's 2026-27 season.