Nicola Ghiuselev
Bulgarian operatic bass Nicola Ghiuselev was born in Pavlikeni on 17 August 1936. After studying painting at the Academy of Arts in Sofia, he studied voice with Christo Brambarov at the National Opera's school, making his debut with the same company in 1960 as Timur in Turandot.
Five years later he toured France, Germany and Holland with Sofia Opera, and made his debut at New York Metropolitan Opera as Ramfis in Aida, followed by King Philip II in Don Carlo and the title role in Boris Godunov. He sang at the Met for two seasons, then made important debuts around the world.
He died on 16 May 2014, aged seventy-seven.