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STAGE OF
THE AGES
2025

3 STAGES

13 PERFORMANCES

MORE THAN  300 PARTICIPANTS

BUY A TICKET!
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Organizators_Logos-2024_En
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3 STAGES

13 PERFORMANCES

MORE THAN  300 PARTICIPANTS

BUY A TICKET!
“STAGE OF THE AGES” FESTIVAL
CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF ITS BEGINNING WITH AN EXCITING PROGRAMME

With three programmes on three stages the emblematic for Veliko Tarnovo Summer Opera Festival “Stage of the Ages” will celebrate 40 years since its beginning. The cultural forum will offer the audience 15 titles – opera, ballet, symphonic music, musical and concert performances from the end of June to the beginning of October.
The opera theatres of Burgas, Varna, Stara Zagora, Ruse and Plovdiv, the Konstantin Kisimov Musical and Dramatic Theatre in Veliko Tarnovo, the Stefan Makedonski National Music Theatre, the Vratsa Symphony and the Pleven Philharmonic will present performances from their repertoires.
The elite Johann Strauss Virtuosen Orchestra, gathering the best Viennese musicians under the baton of Maestro Guido Mancusi, will also be performing on the open stage in the Palace of the Tsarevets Fortress. The concert, dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Johann Strauss Jr., will take place on 2 August and is part of the orchestra’s world tour, including Bulgaria.

“Stage of the Ages” is the first open-air opera festival to be held in Bulgaria. It began in July 1985 with two performances of Marin Goleminov’s opera Ivaylo at the Tsarevets fortress, on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the uprising of the boyars Peter and Assen and the establishment of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom.

Since 2008, the musical forum has been held annually, and for the past years, over 150 performances have been presented on the open stage at the Tsarevets Palace – the best world.

WHEN
2025
27 June – 5 September
from 21:00 h
WHERE
> Veliko Tarnovo - Tsarevets Hill, 
> Open-air Theatre At Marno Pole Park
> Konstantin Kisimov Musical and Drama Theater
MORE ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
PROGRAM

The 2025 season of “Stage of the Ages” begins on June 27 with Mozart’s opera “The Marriage of Figaro” performed by the Musical and Dramatic Theatre “Konstantin Kisimov” – Veliko Tarnovo. Under the stars of Tsarevets on July 6, the Varna Opera will present “Faust” by Charles Gounod, and on July 12, the State Opera Ruse will perform “La Traviata” by Giuseppe Verdi. The undisputed masterpiece of Georges Bizet “Carmen” on July 19 will be performed by the Burgas Opera, and on July 25 the Palace of the Historical Fortress will be the natural backdrop for the opera “Tsar Kaloyan” by Pancho Vladigerov – premiere performance of the State Opera Stara Zagora.

For ballet fans, it will be the classic Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev by State Opera Plovdiv, which will be presented on September 3 at the Konstantin Kisimov Musical and Dramatic Theatre.
A special highlight of the festival program will be the gala concert performance dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the other “trademark” of the Historical and Spiritual Capital of Bulgaria – the audio-visual spectacle “Tsarevgrad Tarnovo – Sound and Light”. On September 5, in the square in front of the Tsarevets fortress, the works of Bulgarian composers will be performed, and the climax will be the live performance of the original music of “Sound and Light” in sync with the lights and visual effects of the show. The concert performance will be by the choir and orchestra of the State Opera Ruse, with the special participation of Theodosii Spasov..

VELIKO TARNOVO – TSAREVETS FORTRESS
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“THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO”
“THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO”

opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Konstantin Kisimov Musical and Drama Theater – Veliko Tarnovo
“FAUST”
“FAUST”

Opera by Charles Gounod
Theatre and Music Production Centre – Varna
“LA TRAVIATA”
“LA TRAVIATA”

Opera by Giuseppe Verdi
State Opera Ruse
“CARMEN”
“CARMEN”

Opera by Georges Bizet
State Opera Burgas
“TSAR KALOYAN”
“TSAR KALOYAN”

Opera by Pancho Vladigerov
State Opera Stara Zagora
CONCERT Dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Johann Strauss II
CONCERT Dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Johann Strauss II

Johann Strauss Virtuosen Orchestra (Austria)
“ROMEO AND JULIET”
“ROMEO AND JULIET”

a ballet by Sergei Prokofiev
Plovdiv State Opera
40 YEARS OF THE AUDIO-VISUAL SPECTACLE “SOUND AND LIGHT”
40 YEARS OF THE AUDIO-VISUAL SPECTACLE “SOUND AND LIGHT”

Gala Concert-Spectacle
Choir and Orchestra of Ruse State Opera,
with the special participation of Teodosii Spassov
„STAGE OF THE AGES – A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE“

Performances by Virginia Ballet, Classic Ballet School, and Bon-Bon Music are part of this year’s program for children and youth audiences “Stage of the Centuries: A Glimpse into the Future,” which traditionally offers free admission.

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“BEHIND THE CURTAIN – OR HOW ONE BECOMES A BALLERINA”
“BEHIND THE CURTAIN – OR HOW ONE BECOMES A BALLERINA”

ballet performance
Virginia Ballet
“A THOUSAND AND ONE PICTURES”
“A THOUSAND AND ONE PICTURES”

Ballet performance
Ballet School “Klasika”
“30 YEARS OF BON-BON”
“30 YEARS OF BON-BON”
COMPLEMENTARY PROGRAMME

The accompanying events of Season 2025 will be at the Summer Theatre of Veliko Tarnovo and include the musical “Zorro” to music by Gypsy Kings and John Cameron by the State Opera Ruse, the concert “Tango Classic” by Vesko Eshkenazy, Stoyan Karaivanov and the Pleven Philharmonic, the stage cantata “Carmina Burana” performed by the Vratsa Symphony and the concert performance “The King of the Waltz” by the Stefan Makedonski Music Theatre.

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“ZORRO”
“ZORRO”

A musical with music by the Gipsy Kings and John Cameron
State Opera Ruse
“TANGO CLASSIC”
“TANGO CLASSIC”

Concert by Vesko Eschkenazy and Stoyan Karaivanov
Pleven Philharmonic Orchestra
“CARMINA BURANA”
“CARMINA BURANA”

Stage Cantata by Carl Orff
Vratsa Symphony Orchestra
“THE KING OF THE WALTZ”
“THE KING OF THE WALTZ”
TICKETS

Tickets for the festival are available in the network of eventim.bg and at the Tourist Information Centres at 5 Hristo Botev St and Tsar Asen I Square in Veliko Tarnovo, tel. 062/622148, 0887659829

PRICE CATEGORIES
Ticket prices for each performance of the program are announced on the Eventim website.
SEE MORE!
ORGANIZERS

Stage of the Ages is organised by Veliko Tarnovo Municipality and the partnering Bulgarian opera theatres, with the support of Tsarevgrad Tarnov Municipal Torism Agency and Regional Museum of History – Veliko Tarnovo.

Under the Patronage of the Ministry of Culture of Bulgaria.

SUPPORTED BY:
CONTACT US
5000 Veliko Tarnovo, 2 Maika Bulgaria Square
Veliko Tarnovo Municipality
Culture, Tourism and International Relations Department
Tickets and accommodation info:
+359 62 622 148
Organisation and technical support:
+359 88 807 0055
mail@stageoftheages.bg