Krassen Karagiozov, baritone, was born in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, where he began his musical studies as a pianist. At age eighteen, he started his vocal training, and later completed a degree in piano and voice performance at the State Academy of Music in Sofia. He participated in and won international competitions in both piano and voice, including the "Tz. Diakovich" in Sofia. In addition to concert work as a collaborative pianist in Bulgaria, Turkey, and Maine during his student years, he appeared as baritone soloist for a recital program for the Bulgarian National Radio.

Mr. Karagiozov completed a MM at Southeastern Louisiana University in piano with a minor in voice and also served as accompanist as part of his assistantship. While attending Southeastern, Mr. Karagiozov performed Beethoven's fourth piano concerto with the SLU Chamber Orchestra. He has also appeared as the Bass soloist in Mozart's Requiem and received leading roles in the operas Savitri by Gustav Holst and Die Fledermaus by J. Strauss. He was awarded second prize at the southern region of the NATS competition in the graduate men's division. In the summer of 2000, Mr. Karagiozov received a scholarship to attend the Aspen Music Festival where he performed roles in Rake's Progress and Gianni Schicchi at the Aspen Opera Theater.

At the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute, Mr. Karagiozov sang several leading roles, including Filippo in Beatrice di Tenda, Peter in Hansel and Gretel, the Title role in Don Giovanni, Tarquinius in The Rape of Lucretia and Darcy in an Opera Workshop Premiere of Kirke Mechem's Pride and Prejudice. For the Spoleto Festival-USA in Charleston, he sang recitals and understudied the roles of Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos and Raven and Prometheus in the American Premier of Die Vögel by Walter Braunfels, conducted by Julius Rudel. He has sung several supporting roles for Piedmont Opera Theater, and for Capital Opera Raleigh has appeared as the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro, Silvio in I Paggliacci and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly. His Pritschitsch in The Merry Widow was performed alongside world renowned baritone William Stones' Danilo for the Opera Company of North Carolina. There he was also heard as Schaunard in La Boheme. For Opera Roanoke Mr. Karagiozov has sang as well Schaunard and also Peter in Hansel and Gretel . In the Summer of 2007 he participated at the Lake George Opera Festival in Saratoga Springs, NY where he sang the role of Raoul de Gardefeu in La Vie Parisienne

Most recently, Mr. Karagiozov shone as Germont in La Traviata for Capital Opera Raleigh, Masetto in Don Giovanni for Opera Carolina and Marcello in La Boheme with the Bulgarian Radio-Symphony Orchestra in Sofia, Bulgaria. He has also appeared as a soloist for the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra, North Carolina Chamber Symphony, Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestra, and Enid Symphony orchestra in a concert featuring the world- renowned soprano Leona Mitchel. Mr. Karagiozov is a North Carolina district winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and First Prize winner of the Charlotte Opera Guild Competition, as well as a finalist of the Heinz Rehfuss Vocal Competition at Orlando Opera. His upcoming engagements include the roles of Eugene Onegin, Belcore in Elixir of Love , Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte and Escamillo in Carmen for Opera San Jose,, CA