Ilija Josifov was born in Kotel during April 1912. As a child, he studied violin. His career began first as a lawyer after obtaining a
a university degree in Bulgaria. While at the State Academy of Music, he was first tenor with the Co-Operative Operetta Theater.
His debut was as Pinkerton with the Sofia National Opera in 1945.
International appearances took Josifov to the Vienna State Opera,
Kirov Opera and stages in Romania, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Poland and Czechoslovakia.
The Russian critics considered him to be a great Lenskij.
After more than 600 stage appearances, he retired from singing in 1962 becoming a famous teacher in Sofia, at the Leningrad conservatory and
the Riga opera house.
His favorite pastime was hunting in the mountains of Bulgaria. Ilija Josifov died in Sofia on June 29th, 1993.
