A native of Donetzk in the Ukraine, and now Iiving in Rousse, Bulgaria, Emilia Boteva studied at the Bulgarian Academy of Music in Sofia in the speciality of opera singer mezzo-soprano. Her debut was at the State Opera Rousse in 1983 as Pippo in La Gazza Ladra, and has been regular with that company ever since singing such roles as Ulrica, Azucena, Maddalena, Fenena, Eboli and Amneris.

She has sung with the opera companies of Sofia, Varna, Piovdlv and has also sung many times at the lntemational festivals Varna's Summer, March Musical Days In Rousse, Sofia's Musical Weeks, Verdi's Intemational festival in Konstanza, Romania, Opera Festival in Kirnburg, Germany.

In 1983 she was an award winner at the Svetoslav Obretenov National Competition, Bulgaria, and a finalist of the Toulouse International Vocal Competition, France, in 1986.

She has been a guest artist at the Lithuanian National Opera (Eboli and Ulrica), In Salonika ( Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky), In Lodz, Poland (Madame Butterfly- Suzuki), In Lisbon, Portugal, Teatro Coliseum (Azucena, Il Trovatore), and in other countries. She has had performances In Holland, Germany, France, and Spain with Bulgarian opera companies and symphonic orchestras. With the Bulgarlan choir Rodina and the conductor Prof. VassiI Arnaudov she made in France (Paris and Lion), the mezzo--soprano's solo of Rachmaninov's Liturgy Night- Long Wake, op 37. The French Nationa1 Radio recorded this work in Lion in 1991. She has had the chance to sing the roles of Fenena, Amneris, UIrica with such conductors as DanieI Lipton and Tamash Pall.

Emilia Boteva's repertoire covers all opera styles: from baroque music to modern music, and it includes all mezzo-soprano roles, among which are all Verdi's roles, and Santuzza, Vania (Ivan Susanin), Carmen, Cherubino, Olga, etc.

She has a diverse repertoire in cantata and oratorio music, including Verdi's and Mozart's Requiems; Pergolesi's and Rossini's Stabat Mater; voice-symphonic cycles by Manuel De FaiIIa, Mahler.

Emilia Boteva has made many recordings for the National Buigarian Radio, which remained in the Golden Fund oV the Radio, because of their exceptional quaiity.

In the future Emilia Boteva's upcoming engagements Include a concert tour in Germany, Das Rheingold in Bilbao-Spain, Carmen in the. Kirnburg Opera Festlval and Aida in Switzerland and Canada.