Kamen Chanev was born on August 27, 1964 in Sliven. He graduated from the French High School in his hometown, and in 1991 the State Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov ”in Sofia.

In 1992 he specialized in Rome, at the Boris Hristov Academy, where he worked with Alexandrina Milcheva. He is the winner of the “Jussi Björling” competition in Sweden.

After his successful debut as Des Grieux in Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut” in 2007 at the Vienna State Opera KAMEN CHANEV has become a regular guest performer at the biggest opera stages in the world: Rome Opera, Deutscheoper-Berlin, Staatsoper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Staatsoper Hamburg, Opera Frankfurt, Teatro La Fenice – Venice, Washington National Opera, Opera De Montreal, Bolshoi Theater – Moscow, and in cities like Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Tel Aviv and many others.

He has worked with conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Lorin Maazel, Vladimir Jurowski, Paolo Carignani, Nicola Luisotti, Donato Renzetti, Philippe Auguin and many others.

His repertoire includes more than 45 major roles in operas such as Aida, Un Ballo di Maschera, Il Trovatore, Don Carlos, Manon Lescaut, Tosca, Turandot, Tosca, Carmen and others.

Kamen lost his life tragically, cut down by Covid 19, a few days after recreating in a unique way the top of the tenor repertoire – the role of Othello from Verdi’s opera of the same name. The last role is the gesture with which he gave his best to the opera.