29 august 2023 Mario Nikolov With The "Emil Chakarov" Award 2023
This year's "Emil Chakerov" award, which was established in 2011 and is traditionally presented during the Burgas Music Festival in the name of the outstanding Bulgarian conductor of international fame, the outstanding Bulgarian opera singer, director, producer, screenwriter, and television host Mario Nikolov. The first winner of the prestigious prize, bearing the name of the world-renowned Bulgarian conductor, is the famous violinist Mincho Minchev.
The award will be presented officially during the concert performance directed by Mario Nikolov - "Love, champagne and can-can" - on September 4, Monday, at 8:00 p.m., on the stage of the Summer Theater - Burgas. At the end of the oversaturated successful summer season for the State Opera - Burgas, a glamorous finale is coming - with the large-scale concert performance, in idea, script, direction and with the participation of Mario Nikolov, which will officially close the Burgas Music Festival "Emil Chakarov" 2023, carried out by the State Opera - Burgas, with the partnership of the Municipality of Burgas for the sixteenth time in a row. The concert performance marks the 60th anniversary, as well as the 40-year creative activity of the tenor and director Mario Nikolov. As per tradition, a strong festival program was realized this year as part of the BMP "Emil Chakarov" 2023, and a large audience was attracted to the multifunctional Summer Theater of the seaside town.
The sumptuous stage production "Love, champagne and can-can", which includes popular works from the operetta and the musical, will fill the Summer Theater in Primorski Park in Burgas on Monday with beautiful music and performers, combined with whirlwind ballet and festive mood. The impressive concert performance, created by Mario Nikolov, the soloists, orchestra, chorus, and ballet of the Burgas Opera, will unfold its full splendor under the baton of the conductor Strazimir Pavlov /guest/, who has impressive experience behind the helm in similar types of programs. Stracimir Pavlov is a famous conductor, composer, arranger and instrumentalist. He was awarded the "Most Talented Young Author" award by the Union of Bulgarian Composers. Since 1996, he lives and works in the USA. During this period, he was awarded numerous prizes from prestigious American competitions. Since 2002, he has been the music director and conductor of the Opera Theater in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has conducted over 40 titles (operas, musicals, and shows). Leads summer academies for young opera singers. He has performed in Carnegie Hall - New York, Seattle - Washington, Los Angeles - California, etc. In 2008, he returned to Bulgaria and in the short time since then, he has filled his biography with many more creative performances.
In the attractive concert performance "Love, Champagne and can-can" on September 4th, the richness of its timbres and emotional stage presence in the musical program selected with taste, flair, and large-scale creative thought by the screenwriter and director Mario Nikolov, winner of the "Emil" award Chakarov" for 2023, will present the magnificent soloists of the State Opera - Burgas, the musicians of the orchestra and the artistic ensembles of the choir and the ballet. The impressive program will feature: sopranos Lyudmila Mihailova, Maria Tsvetkova-Madjarova, Nona Krastnikova and Shmilena Sultanova, mezzo-soprano Ioana Kadiyska, tenors Andreya Mirchev, Mario Nikolov – guest, and Yani Nikolov, baritones Branimir Nedkov and Yordan Hristozov, basses Delyan Slavov and Diman Panchev. The concertmaster of the orchestra is Vanya Zlateva, the choir conductor is Alexander Chepanov, and the choreography of the ballet is by Marina Zmeeva-Markova.
The large-scale concert performance, which will set a glamorous coda to the summer music festival, includes works representing the best of operetta and musical literature. On the stage of the Summer Theater on Monday, after the official presentation of the "Emil Chakarov" Award to Mario Nikolov, the following will be performed: arias, duets, and an ensemble from "The Queen of the Czardasha" by Imre Kalman, "Hungarian Dance No. 5" by Johannes Brahms, arias, duets and ensemble from The Merry Widow by Franz Lehar, arias and ensemble from The Bat by Johann Strauss-son, arias from Countess Maritza by Imre Kalman, ensemble from The Gypsy Baron by Johann Strauss-son, ballet performances by Orpheus from Hell by Offenbach, The Bat by Strauss-son, Songs from the musicals My Fair Lady by Frederick Lowe, Fiddler on the Roof by Jerry Bock, The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cabaret, "Land of Smiles" and others.
Tickets for "Love, Champagne and can-can" can be purchased at the Opera box office, the "Clock" box office /in front of the Bulgaria hotel - also open on weekends/, the Summer Theater box office - after 6:30 p.m., before the event, as well as in the networks of Grabo - https://grabo.bg/burgas/kontzert-v-burgas-0srd6s?fbclid=IwAR1kYci9Q3OKr-jy97WOA5wQYu54rf2qiCO3_wUcWHSllY0tqYGQxvy1PGo
About the winner of the "Emil Chakarov" Award 2023 - Mario Nikolov, opera singer, director, producer, screenwriter and TV presenter:
The tenor and director Mario Nikolov is one of the most popular faces of classical music and stage art in our country. With his glamorous appearances, he
charmed audiences on three continents by touring Europe multiple times,
Japan and America. He started his creative career on the stage of the "Stefan Makedonski" National Music Theater in Sofia in 1989, where he performed all the central tenor parts. Crowning in his singing career are the roles of Count Tassilo in "Countess Maritza", Eisenstein in "The Bat", Prince Edwin in "The Queen of the Chardash", Barinkai in "Gypsy Baron", Paris from "The Beautiful Elena", Prince Rajami in "The Bayaderka" ”, Danilo from “The Merry Widow”, Count Zedlau from “Vienna Blood”, Duke Urbino from “One Night in Venice” and many others.
Mario Nikolov studied opera singing at the Higher Music School in
Vienna and DMA "P. Vladigerov" in Sofia. He graduated in directing with a master's degree at NATFIZ "Kr. Sarafov" with a profile of musical and stage performances. He also completed another master's degree - "Production and Creative Industries" at SU "St. Kliment Ohridski" FJMK. He specialized in performing arts and cultural management.
"The Bat", "Bulgarians of Old", "The Queen of Chardasha", "Countess Maritsa", "Gypsy Baron", "One Night in Venice", "The Beautiful Elena", "Blood of Vienna", "Ball in Savoy", "Servants", the concert performances "From Vienna to Broadway", "Mediterraneo", "Under the Sky of Paris" are just some of the hit productions of the director Mario Nikolov, which he staged many times in the musical theaters in Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo, Pazardzhik, the opera theaters in Ruse, Burgas, Varna, Constanta (Romania) and others.
Mario Nikolov is a guest at all music festivals in our country, as well as at a number of international ones in Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Belgium, etc.
He is the recipient of the prestigious award "Golden Lyre" for overall contribution to the field of musical and performing arts, as well as the awards "Crystal Lyre" 2010 and "Crystal Lyre" 2014 for excellence in the field of musical and performing arts. In 2013, he was awarded the "Musician of the Year" prize for active creative activity. At the end of 2015, he was awarded the "Production of the Year" Award by the National Opera and Ballet Theaters and the Ministry of Culture in Romania for his direction of the operetta "One Night in Venice" at the Opera and Ballet Theater - Constanta, Romania. In 2023, at a solemn award ceremony of the Ministry of Culture "Golden Age", on the occasion of May 24, he was awarded an award for overall contribution to the development and strengthening of Bulgarian culture and national identity. In the same year, he also received the badge of honor of the Pazardzhik Municipality, for a significant contribution to the spiritual development of the municipality.
For the period 2013-2015, Mario Nikolov was the director of the State Musical
and Ballet Center Sofia /National Music Theater "St. Macedonian" and Ballet "Arabesque". Since 2018, he has been the author, screenwriter, and host of the weekly television program for classical music and jazz on BNT1 - "Eternal Music".
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