Bozhidar Bozhкilov was born in 1993. He was born in 1993. Born in 1993 in Sofia. He began his musical education at an early age with piano and solfege lessons. At the age of 15 he entered the National Music School “Lyubomir Pipkov”, where he graduated in Classical Singing in the class of the great Bulgarian baritone Stoyan Popov, and later graduated with a Master’s degree in the same specialty at the National Music Academy “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” in the class of prof. Niko Isakov. Alongside his musical education, Bozhidar Bozhкilov graduated in Law from New Bulgarian University in 2016.
He has undergone training courses at the International Opera Academy in Sofia. International Summer Academy “Bulgaria” under the direction of Maestro Mikhail Angelov; master vocal courses and private training with Stoyan Popov, Anna Tomova-Sintova, Bruna Baglioni, Montserrat Cabaye, Bonaldo Giotti, Larisa Gergieva, Carlo Colombara, Luciana D’Intino, etc. In 2021 she will complete a two-year specialization at the prestigious Academy of Teatro La Scala in Milan. In 2022 he participated in the annual masterclass of Raina Kabaivanska in Sofia, organized by New Bulgarian University, where he won a scholarship for a one-year study with her at the Vecchi-Tonelli Institute, Sofia. She attended the Tone-Toniani School in Modena for a scholarship.
At the age of 19, after a successful performance in international competitions for opera singers in Italy, he made his operatic debut in a series of performances of the operas “The Barber of Seville”, “Madame Butterfly” and “La Traviata” in Italian productions presented in the region of Abruzzo and Tuscany. Over the next 11 years he performed over 20 roles in opera titles and participated in numerous gala concerts on prestigious stages in Bulgaria, Austria, Albania, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Serbia, France, Montenegro, North Korea and other countries. He has sung on the stages of Auditorio de Zaragoza – Sala Mozart, Teatro Filarmonico in Verona, Mariinsky Concert Hall, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro Regio Torino, Auditorio Alfredo Kraus in Las Palmas, Opera Bastille, Royal Opera House – Muscat and others. After a national competition, in 2020 Bozhidar Bozhкilov was chosen by the opera prima Sonia Yoncheva to be presented by her in front of a national audience and to perform alongside her in a gala concert “Return” on the stage of the Ancient Theatre in Plovdiv. In 2024, during her first participation in a full opera performance in Bulgaria, she again names him as her stage partner in the role of Colin from Giacomo Puccini’s opera La bohème on the stage of the Sofia Opera and Ballet.
Bozhidar Bozhкilov is a laureate and winner of prestigious awards from more than 20 international competitions for opera singers held in Austria, Bulgaria, Italy, Romania, Russia and Croatia, including:
- “Lyuba Velich” gr. Vienna – 3rd prize;
- “Franco Federici” gr. Parma – 3rd prize;
- “L’assoluta Virginia Zeani” gr. Targu Moureg – 3rd prize;
- “Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov” gr. Tikhvin – 2nd prize;
- “Pavel Lisitian” gr. Vladikavkaz – 2nd prize;
- “Andrea Chenier” gr. Foggia – 1st prize;
- “Stoyan Ganchev” gr. Zagreb – 1st prize.
He was awarded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria with the honorary gold medal “100 years of Boris Hristov”. He was awarded the First National Prize “Pancho Vladigerov” in the category “classical singing” in the classification for students outstanding in the field of music. He was twice nominated in the polls of the “Allegro Vivace” programme for “Young Musician of the Year” (2022 and 2024).
Bozhidar Bozhкilov is currently a soloist at the State Opera – Plovdiv and actively participates in cultural events in the country. His upcoming engagements include Bohemi at the State Opera – Plovdiv on 09.04.2024, Requiem by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with new Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei by Gregory Spears with the Sofia Philharmonic at Bulgaria Hall on 11.04.2024, Dmitri Shostakovich’s 14th Symphony with the Sofia Soloists Chamber Ensemble at Bulgaria Hall on 17.04.2024, Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca – concert performance with Sonya Yoncheva on the stage of the Antique Theatre – Plovdiv on 04.06.2024 and others.
