Ohrid, 31 July 2022 (MIA) – Soprano Vesna Gjinovska Ilkova and tenor Gjorgji Cuckovski, accompanied on piano by Kristina Svetieva, will perform in church St.Sophia within the 62nd Ohrid Summer festival on Sunday. Vesna Gjinovska-Ilkova graduated at the Faculty of Music Arts in Skopje in the class of prof. Milka Eftimova, and earned her master’s degree in Belgrade in the class of Radmila Bakocevic. In her versatile operatic work, she has portrayed over 20 leading soprano roles. Her debut came as Micaela in “Carmen” alongside Russian tenor Sergei Dubrovin in 1996, and her international debut was as Elisabeth in “Don Carlos” at the Sofia opera in 1998 as part of the international singing competition “Georgi Hristov” with the world-renowned Nikola Gyuzelev. For her operatic accomplishments, Gjinovska-Ilkova has been awarded the prize “13 November” by the City of Skopje, Golden mask in 2006, the award “Golden Lyre” from the Association of musicians of Macedonia and in 2014 she was presented with the prestigious Virtuosi Award. In 2019, Gjinovska Ilkova was the recipient of the highest state award “St. Kliment Ohridski”. Since 2006, she teaches singing at the Faculty of Music Arts in Skopje. A honours graduate of the Faculty of Music Arts in Skopje in the class of Biljana Jovanovska, Gjorgji Cuckovski specialized opera singing with prof. Olivera Miljakovic in Vienna and earned his master’s degree with Boris Trajanov at the Goce Delchev University in Shtip in 2019. During the period 2010-2014 he was board president of the Macedonian Opera and Ballet and artistic director of the opera between 2014-2018. He was also been artistic selector for the music programme of the Ohrid Summer festival in 2018. Cuckovski is a principal soloist of the Macedonian opera and his repertoire covers all the title tenor roles of the house. Cuckovski is a principal of the National opera and ballet since 2007 and is also teaching at the Faculty for Audiovisual Arts ESRA. Kristina Svetieva is one of the country’s most talented young pianists with a significant concert activity. She graduated with honours from the Faculty of Music Arts in Skopje, in the class of her father Todor Svetiev, and earned her master’s degree in 2008 mentored by Jenny Zaharieva with whom she also specialized at the “Schola cantorum” in Paris continuing to earn her doctorate with the same professor in 2014. She has received important state and international prizes. Svetieva is a professor at the Faculty of Music Arts in Skopje.