Bantcho Bantchevsky

Bantcho Bantchevsky (Bulgarian: Банчо Банчевски; also spelled Banchevsky or Banchevski; May 5, 1906 – January 23, 1988) was a Bulgarian-born American singer, singing coach, and translator. He committed suicide at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City during a nationally broadcast performance.

Bantchevsky was born in Lovech, and had little formal musical training in his youth. Village cultural life, which centered on traditional singing and dancing, inspired him to attend the Sofia Conservatory, where he learned to play the flute and piano and studied opera.

Bantchevsky found a career for himself performing on Rakovska Street in Sofia, known as "Bulgaria's Broadway", and became well known during the 1930s; however, he chose to leave Bulgaria when it became an ally of the Soviet Union during World War II. He spent the 1940s finding work around Europe, singing opera in Czechoslovakia and Vienna, and becoming a member of the Don Cossack Choir Serge Jaroff. He also appeared in films and plays in Berlin, including a small part in a performance of Macbeth. Early in the 1950s, he emigrated to the United States.

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