Raina Kabaivanska facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Raina Kabaivanska OMRI
Райна Кабаиванска
Kabaivanska as Tosca with Enrique Baquerizo in Madrid, 2004
Born	(1934-12-15) 15 December 1934 (age 90) Burgas, Kingdom of Bulgaria
Citizenship	Bulgaria and Italy
Education	Bulgarian State Conservatoire
Occupation	Operatic soprano academic teacher
Years active	1957–present
Awards	Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2000)

Raina Kabaivanska (born December 15, 1934) is a famous opera singer from Bulgaria. She is known as a lirico-spinto soprano, which means she has a powerful and expressive voice, perfect for dramatic roles in operas. She is especially famous for singing in operas by Verdi and Puccini.

Who is Raina Kabaivanska?

Early Life and Training

Raina Kabaivanska was born in Burgas, Bulgaria. She started her music journey by studying in Sofia. She learned from teachers like Prokopova and Yosifov. In 1957, she made her first big performance at the Bulgarian National Opera. She sang the role of Tatjana in Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin.

The next year, she moved to Italy to continue her studies. She learned more about singing with Zina Fumagalli-Riva in Milan and Giulia Tess in Vercelli.

Her Big Break in Italy

Just two years later, in 1960, Raina had a major success in Fano, Italy. She performed as Nedda in Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci. This was a big step in her career.

In 1961, she sang for the first time at La Scala in Milan, which is a very famous opera house. She played Agnese in Bellini's Beatrice di Tenda, alongside another great singer, Dame Joan Sutherland. After that, she performed in many Italian cities like Genoa, Venice, and Parma.

A special moment was in Turin in 1973. She sang as Elena in I vespri siciliani. This opera was directed by the legendary singer Maria Callas, which was a rare event.

Singing Around the World

Raina Kabaivanska quickly became known internationally. In 1962, she made her first appearances at two other very important opera houses:

• The Royal Opera House in London, where she sang Desdemona in Verdi's Otello.
• The Metropolitan Opera in New York, where she performed as Nedda.

She continued to sing in many famous theaters worldwide. These included the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Paris Opéra, and the Vienna State Opera. She also performed in major cities like Chicago, San Francisco, and Rome.

Opera on Screen

Raina Kabaivanska also appeared in a few opera films. This allowed more people to see her performances. Some of her notable film roles include:

• Pagliacci in 1968, with Jon Vickers.
• Il trovatore in 1975, with Franco Bonisolli.
• Tosca in 1976, with Plácido Domingo.

Awards and Special Performances

Throughout her career, Raina Kabaivanska has received many international opera awards. These include the Bellini Award (1965), the Puccini Award (1978), and the Grand Prix 'A Life, Dedicated to the Music' (2000).

In 2007, she gave a very touching performance. She sang the "Ave Maria" from Verdi's opera Otello at the funeral of the famous tenor Luciano Pavarotti in Italy.

Teaching and Judging

Today, Raina Kabaivanska shares her knowledge with new generations of singers. She is a professor at several music academies:

• The Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy.
• The Vecchi-Tonelli Music Institute in Modena, Italy.
• New Bulgarian University in Sofia, Bulgaria.

She also helps judge many important singing competitions around the world.

What Operas Did She Sing?

Raina Kabaivanska sang in many different operas. Here are some of the main roles she performed:

Honors and Recognition

Raina Kabaivanska has been recognized with the title of Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. This is a very high honor from Italy, given to her on December 7, 2000.

See also

In Spanish: Raina Kabaivanska para niños