Bulgarian Concert Evenings in New York will open its 2026-27 season with an Opening Night Gala in memory of Bulgarian soprano Stefka Evstatieva.

Scheduled for Oct. 27 at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the program spans opera, art song, chamber music, and Bulgarian repertoire, with works by Puccini, Mendelssohn, Verdi, Amy Beach, Manuel de Falla, Dvořák, David Ludwig, Boito, Pancho Vladigerov, and Parashkev Hadjiev. The tribute to Evstatieva will include the world premiere of “Nightingale,” composed in her memory by Bulgarian American composer and pianist Lora Al-Ahmad.

Performers include sopranos Jihye Jang, Jihye Seo, and Britt Hewitt, and mezzo soprano Mariana Karpatova. They will be joined by violinists Georgy Valtchev and Stanichka Dimitrova, violist Alexandrina Boyanova, cellist Ari Evan, and pianists Al-Ahmad, Anna Stoytcheva, and Lora Tchekoratova.

The showcase kicks off at 7:30 p.m. local time.