Emil Zhelev was born on July 20, 1974, in Sofia. Soprano Roza Mitova was his first singing teacher, who sparked his interest in opera. He studied at the Lyubomir Pipkov National Music School and graduated from the Prof. Pancho Vladigerov National Academy of Music in the opera singing class of Prof. Blagovesta Karnobatlova. Emil Zhelev was one of the first students of Nikola Gyuzelev, with whom he worked on his future bass roles. A creative circle formed around the renowned Bulgarian bass, in which the idol of young singers passed on his experience to his future colleagues. As the young singer prepared for major bass opera roles, these meetings were crucial for developing the characters’ psychological depth, as well as for his vocal technique and artistic interpretation.
Emil Zhelev is also close friends with composer Todor Popov. He performs Popov’s compositions, and regarding “The Southern Wind,” the composer says that Zhelev is the only one who can sing that song.
In 2000, Emil Zhelev settled in Italy, where he worked for the next decade. He studied under Evgenia Dundekova and Claudio Desderi. He was a laureate of the “Umberto Giordano” International Opera Competition (2000) and the Ruffano International Opera Competition (2001, Lecce). In 2002, he made his debut in the role of Don Basilio in "The Barber of Seville" in Lecce. This was followed by engagements in various cities across Italy, performing Verdi’s and Mozart’s Requiems, as well as Haydn’s and Rossini’s “Stabat Mater,” conducted by Bruno Aprea, among others.
Since 2004, he has been an annual guest at one of the most prestigious events for opera and classical music - the Martina Franca Festival (Puglia, Italy) - which traditionally features rarely performed operas and forgotten classical works in bold musical interpretations. Here, Emil Zhelev has performed the roles of Frate Lorenzo and the Duke d’Arcos in A. C. Gómez’s "Salvatore Rosa", conducted by Maurizio Benini; Simone in Gounod’s opera "Polyeut" (2005), conducted by Manlio Benci; and as Frate Lorenzo in "Romeo and Juliet" (2006). His performances in the three operas mentioned above were recorded on DVD for the Italian record label DYNAMIC and are distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Next came more performances as Don Basilio, this time at the Teatro “Verdi” (Salerno), where he became a favourite of his colleagues and the audience; and roles such as Banco in Verdi’s "Macbeth", the Commendatore in Mozart’s "Don Giovanni" at the Taormina Festival in Italy, directed by Simone Alaimo (2007).
In 2007, he took part in a major tour by the soloists of the Teatro Colón (Argentina) throughout Central and South America. Emil Zhelev captivated audiences across the ocean with his vocal and acting portrayal of the classic comic role of Don Basilio, directed by Juri Constantino and conducted by Bruno D’Astoli.
She has also appeared in various productions at opera houses throughout Bulgaria. She made her debut on the stage of the Sofia Opera as Nilakantha in Léo Delibes’s "Lakmé", as Simone ("Gianni Schicchi"), and in productions of *Don Carlo", "Roberto Diavolo", "The Girl of the Golden West". He made guest appearances at the Plovdiv Opera in "Aida" and "Norma" under the baton of Maestro Georgi Dimitrov.
Emil Zhelev and Teodora Chukurska performed a vocal concert at the "Apollonia" Festival (2008), with Bogdana Popova providing piano accompaniment.
Emil Zhelev made his debut on the Ruse stage in 2008 in the role of the Grand Inquisitor in "Don Carlos". Emil Zhelev, who was appointed a soloist at the Ruse Opera in 2012, made his first solo appearance as Count Monterone or the hired assassin Sparafucile in the 2013 production of "Rigoletto", directed by Pavel Gerzhikov.
In 2014, he took part in the large-scale co-production by the Ruse State Opera and the Macedonian Opera and Ballet of Jacques Offenbach’s "The Tales of Hoffmann", conducted by Dian Chobanov and directed by Ursula Horner (Austria), set design by Maria Veteroska (Macedonia), and costumes by Maria Papuchevska (Macedonia); in the role of Dr. Bartolo in Mozart’s "The Marriage of Figaro" (2014), directed by the Swiss director Gian Gianotti; in the role of the philosopher Colin in "La Bohème", he shared the stage with international and Bulgarian soloists, including Besa Lugici (Mimi), Carlos Cremades (Rudolf), Maria Tsvetkova (Musetta), Petar Danailov (Marcel), and Vladimir Popov (Schaunard).
The following year, the Ruse Opera House staged a bold and unconventional project directed by Gian Gianotti and conducted by Nayden Todorov. Instead of the traditional practice of staging Mascagni’s classic opera "Cavalleria Rusticana" alongside "Pagliacci", the production team combined it with Gioachino Rossini’s grand cantata-oratorio "Stabat Mater", which requires a full soloist ensemble (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and bass), featuring Teodora Chukurska, Venera Kotlarova, Alexander Baranov, and Emil Zhelev (2015).
Emil Zhelev’s performances in Verdi’s masterpiece "Nabucco" - in which he played the role of the High Priest of Baal (2019) - are particularly memorable; the director, set designer, and costume designer was the renowned Italian master Mario de Carlo, with Dimitar Kosev as conductor; as Grandfather Lieben in the colorful production “Bulgarians of Old” by Asen Karastoyanov (2019), directed by Adelaide Yakimova-Furnadzhieva, conducted by Vladimir Boshnakov, with set design by Ivan Tokadzhiev; as Amantio di Nicolao in "Gianni Schicchi" by G. Puccini (2020), conducted by Dimitar Kosev, with set and costume design by Mihai Panaitescu. The entire family took part in this production - Teodora Chukurska, her son Petar, and her daughter Zhana, who is now establishing herself as a brilliant young flutist.
With his powerful bass voice, Emil Zhelev portrayed the cunning tempter Mephistopheles in Arrigo Boito’s opera of the same name (2021). In this production, the singer also served as translator, assistant director, and assistant to the stage director, Jean-François d’Ont (Belgium).
He took on the role of the Priest in "Hamlet" with composer Joseph Summer (2021), the world premiere of a contemporary opera staged in Ruse, featuring guest soloists from the U.S. and soloists, the chorus, and the orchestra of the Ruse Opera, directed by Plamen Beikov and conducted by British conductor Leo Hussein. In the musical "Who Is Golemanov?", with music by Georgi Kostov and libretto by Ivo Siromahov, conducted by Vladimir Boshnakov, he plays the role of Chavdar (2022).
The latest premiere by the singer, beloved by Bulgarian audiences, is the stage production of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera "Ernani" (2022, MMD), in which Emil Zhelev performs the pivotal and exceptionally complex role of Don Rui Gomez de Silva, under the baton of the world-renowned tenor and conductor José Cura.
Emil Zhelev’s repertoire includes leading roles by Italian, French, and Russian composers. He has made numerous recordings for Bulgarian National Radio and Bulgarian National Television. He has performed in many solo concerts abroad in France, Germany, Austria, and Italy. He has participated in anniversary concerts dedicated to Nikola Gyuzelev, Nikolay Gyaurov, and Kaludi Kaludov.
Emil Zhelev is also a translator from Italian and English.
He met Teodora Chukurska on stage at the Sofia Opera in "Lakmé", and since 2012, the two have been soloists at the Ruse State Opera. The young family arrived in Ruse at the invitation of the then-director, Nayden Todorov, and raised their children - Peter (2006) and Zhanna (2010) - there.
In 2014, she enrolled in the master’s program in “Management of Cultural Institutions” at NBU.
Emil Zhelev passed away suddenly on August 22, 2022.
Bass Emil Zhelev was posthumously honoured for his lifetime contribution with the “Crystal Lyre” - a special award from the Union of Bulgarian Musicians and Dancers.
* Author: Dr. Veselina Antonova, archivist at the State Opera – Ruse
