Town in northern Bulgaria, on the Danube. In 1914 the Rusenska Operna Druzhba (Ruse Opera Society) was founded, as well as the first symphony orchestra. The opera society formed the basis of the Narodna Operna Ruse (Ruse National Opera), which opened on 27 November 1949, with a performance of La traviata; the existing Darzhaven Simfonichen Orkestar (State SO, 1949) and an opera choir became part of the company, and Konstantin Iliev was musical director, 1949–52. The Ruse company presented opera and ballet, and over the years became one of the best in the country. Besides Iliev, the conductors included Dobrin Petkov, Romeo Raychev, Dimitar Manolov and Georgi Dimitrov; the directors included Dragan Kardzhiyev, Mikhail Hadzhimishev, Stefan Trifonov and Yevgeni Nemirov, as well as Tsvetana Andreyeva and Veselina Manolova, who, having studied in Czechoslovakia, contributed a different style. The repertory includes Italian, German, Russian and Bulgarian operas. As well as the regular season between September and July, the Martenski Muzikalni Dni (March Musical Days) festival is an additional stimulus to the high standard of performance and wide repertory. The Ruse Opera used the National Theatre until 1956, when it moved to a reconstructed building with 670 seats, where three or four performances are given each week.
MAGDALENA MANOLOVA