The creative team of Plovdiv Opera includes distinguished professionals such as artists, conductors, choir masters, designers, scenographers, video artists, and choreographers. They work together to create unique and memorable performances that inspire the audience.
Maestro Dian Tchobanov has been the General Music Director of the State Opera Plovdiv since the 2013/2014 season and became its General Manager in 2024. He earned his master’s degree at the State Musical Academy in Sofia and the University of Performing Arts in Vienna under Prof. Uroš Lajović. His conducting style has been influenced by Sir Colin Davis, Fabio Luisi, and Ivan Fischer. In 2021, he was awarded a Doctorate in the field of art. He has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Second and Special Award at the "Lovro von Matačić" International Conductors Competition in Zagreb (2003), a Special Prize at the Austro-Hungarian Conductors Competition in Budapest (1998), and the "Plovdiv Prize" in 2014, the highest arts distinction in his hometown. His professional career includes roles as resident conductor of the Croatian National Opera (2009–2022), chief conductor of the Croatia Chamber Orchestra (2012–2014), first conductor of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra (2004–2010), and chief conductor of the State Opera Stara Zagora (2007–2012). He was also a resident conductor of the Vienna Schloss Schönbrunn Orchestra (2004–2012). Since 2023, Maestro Tchobanov has been a guest professor of conducting at the Academy of Music, Dance, and Visual Arts "Prof. Asen Diamandiev" in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. He also taught conducting at the East China Normal University (2010–2015). His extensive repertoire spans symphonic, cantata-oratorio, opera, operetta, ballet, and chamber music.
Nina Naydenova is one of the leading opera directors in Bulgaria, with over 50 productions at the Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Burgas, Varna, Ruse opera houses, Sofia Music Theater, and the Macedonian Opera and Ballet. She has directed over 70 performances in international tours to Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and the USA. From October 2013 to 2024, she served as the director of the State Opera Plovdiv, where she developed the institution's cultural strategy, establishing it as one of the leading opera houses in the country. She is the founder and artistic director of the OPERA OPEN festival at the Ancient Theater in Plovdiv, which attracts world-renowned opera singers and has a strong European reputation. Nina Naydenova specialized in opera direction at La Scala, Milan, and in film semiotics at IULM University in Milan. She completed her master's degree in opera direction at New Bulgarian University (NBU) and earned a doctorate in musical semiotics. She also holds specializations in arts management and is an associate professor at NBU, where she teaches opera direction and semiotics of the arts.
Luciano Di Martino is an Italian conductor who specialized in conducting at the University of Hamburg and the Kijana Academy in Siena. He works as a guest conductor in prestigious opera houses such as the State Opera Hamburg, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, the Sofia National Opera, and the Nuremberg Opera House. He collaborates with orchestras such as the Capitol Theater Orchestra in Toulouse, the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Symphony Orchestra, the Novosibirsk Philharmonic, and the Bulgarian National Radio Orchestra. He has conducted some of the greatest opera singers, including Gena Dimitrova, Ana Tomova-Sintova, Anna Netrebko, as well as world-class soloists such as Leticia Moreno, Pepe Romero, Uto Ughi, Plamena Mangova, and Maxim Vengerov. He regularly works with choreographer John Neumeier on new productions with the Hamburg Ballet and has also conducted symphonic concerts with international soloists.
