Makedonski, Stefan

Born Mar. 25, 1885, in Sliven; died May 31, 1952, in Sofia. Bulgarian tenor. People’s Artist of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria (1947). Became a member of the Communist Party of Bulgaria in 1945.

From 1902, Makedonski lived in Russia, where he studied at the Moscow Conservatory between 1904 and 1910. In 1908 he began performing at the S. I. Zimin Opera Theater. In 1910 he made his solo debut at the Bulgarian Opera Association in Sofia. Makedonski completed his training in Paris and Berlin. From 1922 to 1933 he sang leading roles at the opera houses of Sofia and other Bulgarian cities. At this time he also toured abroad. Between 1930 and 1932, Makedonski was the artistic director of the opera house in Varna. From 1934 to 1937 he directed the Touring People’s Theater. Beginning in 1948 he served as the director of the State Theater of Music, which has been named in his honor since 1952.

Makedonski’s voice was resonant with a beautiful timbre. The singer’s best roles were Radames and Otello in Verdi’s Aïda and Otello, Samson in Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila, Don José in Bizet’s Carmen, and Herman in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades. Makedonski was awarded the Dimitrov Prize in 1950.