ARS Nova Lux
АРС Nova Lux is an ensemble based on variable geometry. The unusual combination of musical instruments (and singing) that the ensemble offers moves and enthuses the audience in an absolutely unique way. Performing in variable instrumental combinations of 2 to 4 performers – flute, guitar, percussion, piano (and guests), the ensemble offers a wide variety of musical genres.
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The Queen‘s Six
The Queen's Six was established in 2008, the 450th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth I, from whom they take their name. Based at Windsor Castle, members of The Queen's Six make up part of the Lay Clerks of St George's Chapel, whose homes lie within the Castle walls. The Chapel Choir, which consists of boy trebles and twelve professional adult singers, performs some eight services a week, as well as at private and state occasions, often before the Royal Family.
Trombone Attraction
The quartet plays music from various genres - from baroque, classical arrangements, jazz and popular music to original compositions of contemporary music. Trombone Attraction succeeded in bringing the previously underrated trombone into the classical concert hall, inspiring and exciting the entire audience. Together with the music educator Berenike Heidecker-Nusser, Trombone Attraction also creates programs for children, in which the musicians themselves are included. The evening programs contain dramatic elements and comedic moments developed together with the choreographer and director Ferdinando Cefalo.
Violoncellissimo
Violoncellissimo is one of the most famous Romanian chamber ensembles of the last 15 years and was created on the initiative of the famous cellist Kazaku, who, together with his current and former students, opens the way for the promotion of music and young talents from Romania. On February 11, 2024, the ensemble will perform a concert on the stage of the Sofia Philharmonic, Bulgaria Hall. The ensemble will present a varied program adapted for cello, music of all genres.
Adam Laloum, piano
Adam Laloum is among the best French pianists of the moment. A laureate at the 2009 Clara-Haskil competition, he was proclaimed “Instrumentalist of the Year” during the 2017 edition of the “Victoires de la musique classique”, a gala held in Paris and broadcasted live on television. Moreover, he recently signed an exclusive contract with Sony Classical International, with the first CD to be issued in the spring of 2018.
Aitana Sanz Perez, soprano
Aitana Sanz Perez born in Valencia (Spain), she has been studying regularly with the soprano Isabel Rey since the beginning of her training. Completes the Professional and Higher degrees of Music in Valencia with honors and career award. Then studies a Master's degree at the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna, which also completes with honors, where she is mentored in Lied and Oratory with the baritone Florian Bosch and in singing technique with the soprano Krassimira Stoyanova, with whom she continues to keep woking with.
Albena Danailova, violin
Albena Danailova was born in Sofia to the violinist Boyan Danailov and the pianist Violeta Popova. She is the first woman to become concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, known for its conservatism. Since 2011, she has been the leader of "Ensemble Wien" (as successor to Paul Gugenberger and Rainer Honeck). Danailova is also a professor of violin at the Vienna State University. Plays a violin given to her by the Austrian National Bank.
Alexander Gadjiev, piano
The young pianist Alexander Gadjiev is a multiple Prize-winner at International Competitions, among them, are the 2nd prize and the Special Krystian Zimerman Prize for the best performance of a Sonata at the XVIII Chopin Competition 2021, the First Prize at Sydney International Piano Competition 2021, the First Prize, and the audience prize at the Ninth Hamamatsu International Piano Competition 2015 and the First Prize at “Monte-Carlo World Piano Masters Competition” in 2018.
Alexander Somov, cello
Alexander Somov studied in the cello class of Stefan Runevski at the National Music School "L. Pipkov". In 2006, he became super soloist of the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been invited as guest principal of the London Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonic, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Halle and the English Chamber Orchestra. He is a professor at the Conservatory and Higher Academy in Strasbourg. He enjoys combining styles and expanding musical horizons, whether playing with fellow co-founders of the Robertsau Buskers, in concert with the Salonorkester Baden-Baden, or playing guitar, bulgarian fiddle (gadulka) or percussion in his spare time.
Alexander Hinchev, piano
Alexander Hinchev was born in Sofia, in a family of musicians. He made his debut as a performer with the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A minor by Grieg. He graduated from the Music Academy in Sofia as a student of Prof. Konstantin Ganev. He later studied with Vincenzo Vitale at the Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome, where he graduated with honors and a Special Jury Prize. He is a laureate of the Buzoni International Competition – Bolzano and of the First Prize of the International Piano Competition in Budapest.
Alexei Grynyuk, piano
The British-Ukrainian pianist Aleksei Grynyuk, who feels at home in the classical repertoire as well as in the romantic and 20th-century repertoire, has been defined by the Parisian Le Figaro as a master of the perfect crystal and pure touch... with an astonishing personal touch and absolute transcendental virtuosity.
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Oleksiy Shadrin, cello
Оleksiy Shadrin was born in 1993 in Kharkiv in a family of musicians. At the age of seven, he entered the Kharkiv Specialized Music School in the class of Professor Olena Shtelkanovtseva. In 2010, he entered the Higher School of Music and Theater in Hanover in the class of Prof. Leonid Gorokhov. In 2012, he received first prize at the Mykola Lysenko International Music Competition in Kyiv. In 2018, he received third prize at the Prague Spring competition, and in 2022 he won fourth place at the famous "Queen Elizabeth" International Competition - Brussels. He is currently studying with Frans Helmerson at the Kronberg Academy. As of September 2020, he is also artist-in-residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, where he studies with Gary Hoffman.
Amaury Coeytaux, violin
Hailed by The Strad for his great musical sensitivity, flawless technique and warm sound, the French violinist Amaury Coeytaux has conquered a unique niche as one of the finest and most versatile artists of his generation. A student of Micheline Lefebvre, Jean-Jacques Kantorow and Pinchas Zukerman, he gave his first public performance at the age of 9 and made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2004, playing the Brahms Violin Concerto under the direction of David Gilbert. Since then he has performed many concerts around the world as a soloist and chamber musician.
"Musica Nova" Ensemble
The Musica Nova Еnsemble brings together young composers, instrumentalists, and conductors. It features some of the most talented and intelligent musicians of the young and middle generation. The ensemble is a guest on almost all prestigious catwalks in the country as well as on international festivals such as Wien Modern, Melos - Ethos (Slovakia), Musica сontemporanea (Italy), Meridian (Romania), YOUrope together (Germany). In 2018, the ensemble participates in the Bridges International Festival with a concert at the Konzerthaus in Vienna. The founder and permanent conductor of the ensemble is the famous conductor Dragomir Yosifov.
Atanas Krastev, cello
Atanas Krastev graduated from the National music academy "Pancho Vladigerov" with a master's degree in the class of Prof. Anatoli Krastev (2012). From 2011 to 2014, he specialized under Prof. Nataliya Shakhovskaya at the "Reina Sofia School of Music"- Madrid. He has attended cello master classes by David Geringas, Antonio Menezes, Frans Helmerson, Arto Noras, Natalia Guttmann, Daniel Weiss, Lewis Clare, Alban Gerhard, Yang Chang Cho, Thomas Carroll, Robert Cohen, Maria Kliegel, Reinhard Lazko, Thomas Demenga and etc. Since 2021, he is an associate professor and teaches cello at the "Pancho Vladigerov" National Academy of Music. He leads master classes in Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia.
Bobby Kostadinov, cello
Born in Leipzig in 1999, Bobby Kostadinov has been playing the cello since he was 7 years old. Since 2017 he has been a student of Peter Bruns at the FM Bartholdi School in Leipzig. He has won a total of four federal first prizes from the National Jugend musiziert competition in various categories. The highlight in March 2017 is the performance of Beethoven's Triple Concerto with his trio and Bergische Symphoniker. As a fellow of the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben, Bobby played the cello by Michael Stürzenhofecker, Cully 2012 from the German Musical Instruments Fund. In 2021 he has won second prize in the competition of the Allegra Foundation in Ruse, Bulgaria.
Vahan Mardirisyan
Born in Armenia, Vahan Mardirosyan graduated with honors from the Paris Conservatoire in 1996. Today he has a brilliant global career as a conductor and pianist. For many years he was the chief conductor of the Cannes Symphony Orchestra in France and the music director of the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia (NCOA). From the 2019/2020 season, he is the principal conductor of the Hong Kong City Chamber Orchestra. He has also conducted concerts with the New Japan Philharmonic, the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra, the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia and the Orchester Royal de Chambre de Wallonie. He also conducted the Südwestfalen Philharmonic and Verdi's Requiem at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and recorded a CD with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Vera Girginova, soprano
Vera Girginova simultaneously graduated as an architect and as a classical singer from the National Academy of Music in the class of Prof. Mila Dylgerova. She is a laureate of a number of competitions, including: for young opera singers Gena Dimitrova (2009), European Community in Spoleto (Italy, 2010 and the International Singing Competition Elena Nikolay (2013). She develops her vocal technique with some of the biggest Bulgarian and Italian opera names (Renata Scotto, Fiorenza Cosotto, Raina Kabaivanska, Anna Tomova-Sintova, Darina Takova, Stefka Evstatieva, Anna Vandi, Mirella Paruto, etc.).
Vesela Trichkova, harp
Vessela Trichkova plays as a solo harpist in the Sofia Philharmonic. He has many recordings as a soloist in various symphony orchestras - the Sofia Philharmonic, the BNR Orchestra, the Macedonian and Belgrade Philharmonic, the State Orchestra of Thessaloniki, and many others. Her repertoire covers all styles and eras, and her rich concert activity includes performances on both our and many international stages, including London, Jerusalem, Paris, Moscow, Seoul, and others. He has many recordings as a soloist in various symphony orchestras - the Sofia Philharmonic, the BNR Orchestra, the Macedonian and Belgrade Philharmonic, the State Orchestra of Thessaloniki, and many others. Her repertoire covers all styles and eras, and her rich concert activity includes performances both on our and on many international stages, including London, Jerusalem, Paris, Moscow, Seoul. Apart from her solo and orchestral career, the harpist also dedicates herself to chamber music. She is one of the founders of the first Bulgarian harp quartet, with which they give concerts in Sofia, Sozopol, and Paris. Since 2020 he has been actively working with the Flautissimo Quartet.
Vesselin Vesselinov - EKO, doble bass quitar
Veselin Veselinov – Eko is a bassist, contrabassist and composer. He was born in Sofia and started playing the bass guitar as a teenager. He is the winner of the "Crystal Lyre" award for jazz, as well as the "Bassist of the Year" of BG Radio. He co-founded and participated in various formations and musical projects and managed to establish himself as a sought-after studio performer. Accompanies the most popular stars of the local music scene, makes theater and film music, TV and radio broadcasts. In recent years, EKO has added another project to his career - chamber duo "Das Weltschmerz DueTT" with pianist Milen Kukosharov, with whom he improvises on themes outside the standard jazz repertoire.
Viktoria Vassilenko, piano
Viktoria Vasilenko was born in 1992 in the city of Burgas. Since 2011, she has been a student at the Higher College of Music "Queen Sofia", Madrid, Spain under the world-famous Russian pedagogue and pianist Dmitri Bashkirov. She was twice awarded the "Crystal Lyre" for the best young performer - as a soloist in the 2007-2008 concert season and as a chamber performer in 2012. winner of the prestigious "Golden Age" award for a young musician, with a contribution to culture and art in Bulgaria. Viktoria was a soloist with the Brussels Chamber Orchestra, the Walloon Chamber Orchestra (conductor Frank Brale), the Royal Seville Philharmonic Orchestra (conductor John Axelrod), the Lincolnwood Chamber Orchestra (USA), the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (England), the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra ", the Biel Symphony Orchestra (Switzerland), with whom he recorded a disc released by Fuga Libera in November 2020, for the "Mozart double concertos" project together with Louis Lorti and many others.
Violeta Radomirska, mezzosoprano
Violeta Radomirska was born in Sofia, where since childhood she has performed many concerts as a member of the Children's Radio Choir. He completed his musical education at the National Academy of Music "Prof. Pancho Vladigerov", and in 2004 he became part of the troupe of the Opera in Biel (Switzerland), where he performed many central mezzo-soprano roles. In recent seasons, she performed on the stage of the Sofia Opera as Carmen, Amneris from "Aida" and Eboli from "Don Carlos" by Verdi, Olga from "Eugene Onegin" and many others. She makes joint performances with the Sofia Philharmonic, the Pleven Philharmonic, the Symphony Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio, etc.
Vladimir Boshnakov
Vladimir Boshnakov is born in Pleven into a family of musicians. He graduates from the music school "P. Pipkov" in his hometown (1990) and has his master's degree in choral conducting and clarinet at the National Academy of Music "Pancho Vladigerov" (1995), specializing in opera-symphonic conducting in the class of Prof. Vasil Kazandzhiev (1999-2001). Chief conductor of the Music and Drama Theater "K. Kisimov" Veliko Tarnovo (2005-2010) and the Pleven Philharmonic (2011-2012). Since 2013, he has been a conductor at the State Opera - Ruse, and since 2018 - also at the State Opera - Stara Zagora.
Galya Simeonova, soprano
Galya Simeonova is doing a series of master classes with the great Bulgarian opera singer Alexandrina Milcheva. In 1996 she won first prize for solo singing at the International Competition in Llangollen (England). She is also a laureate of international competitions in Nerpelt (Belgium), Montreux (Switzerland) and Ankara (Turkey). He actively participated in performances of private troupes in Bulgaria and France with titles such as "La Traviata" and "Aida" by Verdi and "Bohemia" by Puccini. Since 2012, Simeonova has made extremely successful appearances as a soloist in the concert performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by F. M. Bartholdi, under the direction of Maestro Emil Tabakov in Sofia with the Orchestra of the BNR, and then in Ruse with the Festival Orchestra of the closing 57th MF "MMD" concert in 2017.
Georgi Dimitrov
Conductor Georgi Dimitrov is among the world-renowned and most loved Bulgarian conductors. An exceptional professional who has worked with all Bulgarian orchestras, as well as with those in Russia, Romania, Hungary, Germany, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, Cuba, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland. He inspires respect at the desk, and although he is very demanding and critical, the orchestra players love and appreciate him, and the audience looks forward to his next performance. In 2022, the conductor was awarded the National Award "Acad. Marin Goleminov" for his remarkable creative biography and half a century of experience in the field of symphonic, operatic and cantata-oratorio music.
Gergana Nestorova, piano
Gergana Nestorova's creative path as a musician began at the local school in her hometown Nessebar. Her concert performances include solo recitals, chamber ensembles and performances with orchestras such as Mozart Virtuoso Festival Orchestra - Tokyo, Sofia Philharmonic, Burgas Philharmonic, Symphony Orchestra - Pazardzhik, "Symfonieta" Vidin, Shumen Philharmonic and Razgrad Philharmonic Orchestra. Nestorova is a full-time assistant at the Piano Department in the Instrumental Faculty at the National Academy of Music "Prof. Pancho Vladigerov" and a piano teacher at the National Music School "Lyubomir Pipkov" in Sofia.
Giorgi Gigashvili, piano
Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 2000, Georgi Gigashvili studied piano without ever thinking of a professional career as a pianist. Today, he has won dozens of awards from renowned competitions, studied under the famous pedagogue Nelson Goerner in Geneva and has become a music ambassador supported by the Lisa Batiashvili Foundation, the Geza Anda Foundation, Bayer Kultur's stARTacademy. Parallel to his classical pianist career, he created a group for electronic and experimental music with his friends called Tsduneba, which means "temptation" in Georgian.
Deyan Vachkov, bass
Deyan Vachkov graduated from the Pancho Vladigerov Academy of Music in the singing class of Prof. Karapetrov and Prof. Nedyalkov. His debut in Vienna in the role of Don Basilio from Rossini's The Barber of Seville impressed the discerning public and determined his success on the most prestigious opera stages. His debut in Bulgaria was on the Varna stage with the roles of Zakaria from "Nabucco", Ramfis from "Aida", Philip from "Don Carlos" by Verdi, Don Giovanni in "Don Giovanni" by Mozart, Don Pasquale from "Don Pasquale" by Donizetti and others. In 2018, he participated in the Beijing premiere of "Tais" by Massenet, in which Placido Domingo played the main role, responded to the invitation of the Bolshoi Theater for "Ball with Masks" by Verdi, and on the Varna stage he made his debut in the role of Oroveso from Bellini's Norma.
Dian Tchobanov
Dian Chobanov is one of the talented Bulgarian conductors, whose name is known not only in Bulgaria, but also on prestigious European stages. He was born in Plovdiv. He completed his education at the Pancho Vladigerov Academy of Music in Sofia, where he studied orchestral conducting with Prof. Vasil Kazandzhiev, and opera with Prof. Ivan Vulpe. Dian Chobanov is the permanent conductor of the Sofia Philharmonic and the Schonbrunn Chamber Orchestra (Vienna). He is a regular guest conductor of the Dohnani Orchestra and Concert Orchestra (Budapest) and the Croatian Chamber Orchestra. Since 2007, he has been the chief conductor of the State Opera - Stara Zagora, and later became a permanent guest conductor of the Croatian National Theater in Rijeka and the Croatian National Opera Theater in Zagreb.
Dimitar Kosev
Dimitar Kosev was born in Ruse, where he graduated from the National School of Arts "Prof. Veselin Stoyanov". Immediately after that, he specialized in conducting and piano in Vienna, and immediately after graduation he became the youngest conductor in Bulgaria - a role that brings great recognition, but also great responsibility. The prizes he has won are countless. He is the winner of the JCI award - "The most prominent young personalities of Bulgaria" in the category "Cultural achievement", he was awarded the Golden Badge "Ruse" and was chosen as the cultural ambassador of the city. He is the winner of the "Golden Feather" award for his contribution to Bulgarian culture and art.
Dragomir Yossifov
Dragomir Yosifov is one of the key figures in contemporary Bulgarian music. He graduated from the National Academy of Music in Sofia, where he studied conducting with V. Arnaudov and D. Manolov and composition with L. Nikolov and B. Spasov. In 2003 he received the award for best conductor at the choir competition in Gorizia, Italy. He also studied with the composers A. Vieru, P.H. Dietrich and F. Goldman. He worked as a conductor of the mixed choir "Prof. Vasil Arnaudov" in Ruse until 2015 and as chief conductor of the Bulgarian national radio choir. His compositions have been performed at numerous festivals such as "Musikprotokoll", "Wien Modern", "Moscow Autumn", "eYOUrope together" in Essen, WDR "European New Music Ensembles", Poland, "Velvet curtain" in Lviv, and by ensembles such as ensemble recherché, “Agon orchestra”, Moscow ensemble for new music, FACE|Contemporary – Vienna, PhO – Gera, Baden Philharmonic – Baden, etc.
Ruse State Opera
Today, the Ruse State Opera is one of the first-class opera houses in Bulgaria. The rich creative potential of the individual ensembles - orchestra, choir, ballet and soloists, as well as the long-term cooperation with the most famous names on the national stage, have in a short time built the Ruse Opera as one of the leading opera houses in Bulgaria. The history and development of one of the oldest opera stages in Bulgaria is connected with all the big names in the history of Bulgarian musical culture, such as Konstantin Iliev, Romeo Raichev, Ruslan Raichev, E. Nemirov, as well as with artists of the class of N. Zdravkov, P. Marinova, K. Krastev, I. Dimov, S. Yakimova, A. Angelova, M. Ventslavova and A. Anastasov, S. Evstatieva, as well as the younger ones such as Orlin Anastasov, Martin Tsonev, Mariana Tsvetkova, Ventslav Anastasov and many other.
Elena Rozanova, piano
Elena Rozanova was born in Odessa, Ukraine. Both her parents were musicians. She first studied at the Gnessine School and was then admitted at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Her repertoire goes from baroque to contemporary music. She has performed many new creations. She is artistic director of the festival “Les Classiques au Val d’Isère”.
Emanuil Ivanov, piano
Emmanuel Ivanov caught the attention of the international music community after receiving first prize at the 62nd edition of the 2019 Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano, Italy. The success of the 20-year-old musician has been followed by concert engagements in some of the most prestigious halls in the world. Emanuil Ivanov is the winner of prizes from prestigious international competitions such as "Alessandro Casagrande", "Scriabin-Rachmaninov", "Liszt-Bartok", "Young Virtuosos", "Dinu Lipati", the "Crystal Lyre" and "Young Musician of the Year" awards ", as well as prestigious awards in Great Britain such as "Musicians' Company Silver Medal" and "Carnwath Piano Scholarship". He is currently a full scholarship student at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire under Pascal Nemirowski and Anthony Hewitt.
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Emmanuel Rossfelder, guitar
Emmanuel Rossfelder began studying guitar at the age of five. When he turned fourteen he won the Gold Medal at the Conservatoire of Aix-en-Provence. He was one of the lucky few to be chosen to study with Alexandre Lagoya at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique, in Paris.
Emil Tabakov
Emil Tabakov is among today's leading Bulgarian conductors and composers, an author of symphonic, vocal-symphonic and chamber music, an artist with world fame and a special contribution to the development of national musical culture. As one of the great ambassadors of Bulgarian culture in the world, he toured alone and with the orchestras he leads in Europe, USA, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, etc. His distinguished international career has been associated with orchestras such as the Orchester National de France, the Orchestra de France Radio, the Orchestra of the Moscow Radio, the New Russia Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonie J. Enescu, Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, Ankara Presidential Orchestra, etc. In 2021, he received the most prestigious award from the Ministry of Culture - the Golden Age Award with a necklace. Since July 2021, he has been Honorary Conductor of the State Opera - Ruse.
Erik Bosgraaf, recorder
Erik Bosgraaf is generally considered to be one of the world’s most virtuosic recorder players, and certainly the most adventurous. Moreover, he is an inspiring conductor.
Ivo Venkov
Ruse-born Ivo Venkov arrives specially from Antwerp, where he teaches orchestral conducting at the Royal Conservatory, to give his second concert on the stage of March Music Days I.F. After winning two prestigious conducting competitions - Gustav Mahler and the Sir Georg Scholti Competition in Frankfurt in 2004, he made a very successful career as a conductor and teacher, and as a guest of a number of prestigious orchestras, including the Bamberg Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Flemish Radio Orchestra, with which he realized a series of recordings.
Yeoul Eum Son, piano
Yеol Eum Son was born in Wonju, South Korea in 1986. She received her first piano lessons at the age of three and a half. Much in demand as a recitalist, concert soloist and chamber musician, Yoram Son has won critical acclaim for the profound insights and intelligence of her interpretations. She is driven above all by her natural curiosity to explore multiple musical genres and styles and a desire to reveal what she describes as the "pure essence" of everything she performs. In the last decade Yoram Son has achieved worldwide recognition, not least with his interpretations of Mozart's piano concertos. The video of her performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No.21 at the International Tchaikovsky Competition has been viewed almost 23 million times, which is believed to be a record number for any live Mozart work on the platform.
Kai Schumacher, piano
With Kai Schumacher, nothing meets nothing because everything is always there. The more different, the more familiar. There is Classical music, he studied at the Folkwang University of the Arts, there is punk and pop and minimal art, Dadaism and Duisburg, dancefloor and avantgarde. Schumacher's solo piano performances lay it all bare. The keyboard he plays is the same as ever. The mysterious thing about this music is that it never pretends for a moment to hold a secret. It ́s sobriety is striking, it's what jumps out at you and puzzles you.
Caio Duran, tenor
The brazilian tenor Caio Durán started to study in 2005 with the tenor Benito Maresca and Isabel Maresca. He continued his studies at "Escola Municipal de Música" and after at "Carlos Gomes" College, in São Paulo, where he graduated in “Erudite Chant” in 2009.
Sofia Soloists Chamber Orchestra
The Sofia Soloists Chamber Ensemble was founded in 1962. Since then, more than 3,000 concerts have been performed all over the world. Three conductors shape the sound of the ensemble: Vasil Kazandzhiev, Emil Tabakov and Plamen Dzhurov, who was the conductor of the ensemble from 1988 to 2022. The ensemble plays in the most prestigious halls - Carnegie Hall in New York, Royal Albert Hall and Barbican Center in London, Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Gavo Hall in Paris, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Sydney Opera House, Suntory Hall, etc. Participates in international festivals in Europe and America. He works with artists of the class of H. Schering, H. Holiger, D. Shafran, N. Zabaletta, P. Gallois, N. Kennedy and others. From 2022, the conductor is maestro Konstantin Dobroykov.
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Quatuor Danel
The Quatuor Danel has been at the forefront of the European music scene for decades with their bold, vibrant, and concentrated performance style, and celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022. The Danel is known for its deeply personal interpretations of the string quartet cycles of Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Shostakovich, and Weinberg, and its lively and fresh vision of traditional quartet repertoire has won the Danel lavish praise from both the public and the press. Uniquely among string quartets, the Danel has worked closely with both Valentin Berlinsky from the Borodin Quartet as well as Irina Shostakovich to refine the deeply personal interpretations of Russian music for which the Quartet is revered in Europe. The Danel’s long personal relationship and exceptionally close work with Dmitri Shostakovich’s widow Irina informed these performances in a specific and profoundly personal way, offering a very rarely accessed glimpse into Shostakovich’s genius.
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Flautissimo Quartet
Flautissimo - An unusual Flute ensemble premieres on the stage of the March Music Days. Created during the pandemic, the Flute Quartet "Flutissimo", together with the harpist Vessela Trichkova, gathers the energy of five elite musicians from the Sofia Philharmonic. The first video they recorded during the isolation in the spring of 2020 reached 95,000 views. Their first public success came the same year during the summer season of the Sofia Philharmonic "Romantic Summer in Square 500".
Kiril Manolov, baritone
Born in Sofia, Kiril Manolov graduated from the National Academy of Music and specialized in opera singing in Milan and Vienna. Winner of the competitions for young opera singers in Vienna, Warsaw and Barcelona. He is the winner of the Grand Prize "Golden Ring of Sofia" at the 14th International Competition for Young Opera Singers Boris Hristov, a prize awarded only 4 times in the 60-year history of the competition.
Konstantin Dobroykov
Konstantin Dobroykov is the chief conductor and artistic director of the Sofia Soloists chamber ensemble. In 2010 received a master's degree in orchestral conducting from the University of North Carolina: School of the Arts. In the period 2013–2022 he is a conductor and part of the management team of the State Opera in Plovdiv. Konstantin Dobroykov also works with the Radio-Symphonic Orchestra of Slovakia, Bratislava, as well as with Slovakia's leading chamber ensemble, Sinfonieta Bratislava. Since 2022 Konstantin Dobroykov is the chief conductor and artistic director of the Sofia Soloists chamber ensemble.
Krassimira Stoyanova, soprano
Krassimira Stoyanova was born in Veliko Tarnovo. She graduated from the Veselin Stoyanov High School of Music in Ruse with a major in violin and from the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts - Plovdiv with majors in violin, singing and music pedagogy. She made her professional debut as an opera singer with the role of Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto in 1995 at the Sofia National Opera. In 1998, she was noticed by the director of the Vienna Opera, Johann Hollender, who invited her to become a soloist of the opera. She made her stage debut at the Vienna Opera as Michaela in Bizet's Carmen. This opened the doors to world fame and allowed Stoyanova to appear on stages such as Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, Covent Garden, Salzburg Opera, London Royal Opera, Zurich Opera House, Helsinki National Opera, Berlin National Opera, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires and others. In 2007, Krassimira Stoyanova was named "Musician of the Year" by the program "Allegro Vivace" on the Bulgarian National Radio. On October 6, 2009, she was awarded the title of “Kammersängerin” by the Austrian Minister of Education, Arts and Culture, the highest title in Austria awarded to opera singers. In 2014, Krassimira Stoyanova received the "Golden Feather" award for her contribution to Bulgarian culture and art, and in 2021 she was awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen" of Ruse.
Cristian Mandeal
A student of Herbert von Karajan in Berlin and Sergio Celibidake in Munich, Christian Mandеal is considered as one of the most important Romanian conductors of our time. Between 1987 and 2002, Mandal was chief conductor and music director of the Bucharest Philharmonic. She witnessed her rise on the international stage and left behind an institution - an archetype in the field of music. For the last six years, he has been concentrating his efforts on the development of the Romanian National Symphony Orchestra.
Lеonard Elschenbroich, cello
Cellist Leonard Elschenbroich, described by the New York Times as a musician of extraordinary technical skill, intellectual curiosity and expressive depth, performs as a soloist with leading orchestras around the world. He made his debut at the Vienna Musikverein during the European tour of the Staatskapelle - Dresden, his US debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, his Asian debut at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo and appeared 5 times in the BBC Promenade Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.
Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra & Sergei Krilov, violin
As a celebrated cultural treasure of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra is widely recognized as one of the world’s finest chamber orchestras. The remarkable history of the orchestra features over a hundred performances with Mstislav Rostropovich and Lord Yehudi Menuhin; a recording of Bach’s 12 Keyboard Concertos and Haydn Concertos for Piano and Orchestra with Tatjana Nikolaeva; Beethoven’s The Creatures of Prometheus narrated by Sir Peter Ustinov and a recent recording of Vivaldi’s violin concertos with Sergej Krylov released by DG. Over the years its soloists have included Janine Jansen, Vadim Repin, Daniel Hope, Oleg Kagan, Yuri Bashmet, Misha Maisky, Natalia Gutman, David Geringas, Daniel Muller-Schott, Evgeny Kissin, Bruno Canino, Sergei Nakariakov, Alexei Ogrinchuk, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Avi Avital, and others. LCO was created in 1960 by distinguished conductor Saulius Sondeckis.
Liya Petrova, violin
Liya Petrova became an international discovery in 2016, when she won the first prize at the International Carl Nielsen Violin Competition 2016 in Denmark, directed by Nikolaj Szeps- Znaider. Two years later she recorded Nielsen’s Concerto and Prokofiev’s First Concerto for Orchid Classics with the Odense Symphony Orchestra under the Estonian conductor Kristiina Poska. This first album won her the acclaim of the international press – London’s Sunday Times admired her ‘wonderful sound – ripe and silvery, phrasing with majestic breadth’, Pizzicato in Germany also qualified her sound as ‘silvery and pure’, and Gramophone praised her extraordinary ‘tonal variety in a wonderful disc’. “The Strad” was impressed by her “effortless virtuosity” and “Classical Music” magazine found her interpretation of the Nielsen concerto “astonishingly good” and “highly lyrical”.
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Ludmil Angelov, piano
Popular on five continents, Lyudmil Angelov has given recitals, chamber music concerts and has been a soloist in renowned orchestras, under the baton of world-renowned conductors. He has played for the Berlin Philharmonic, the Musicfair in Vienna, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Gavo in Paris, the Lincoln Center in New York, La Scala in Milan, the Alte Opera in Frankfurt, Hercules ”in Munich, BOZAR in Brussels, KKL in Lucerne, the Monte Carlo Opera, the Zurich Opera, the National Auditorium in Madrid, the Moscow Conservatory Hall, the National Philharmonic and the National Opera in Warsaw, KBS in Seoul and many more. He has recorded for RCA, Gega New, Pentatone, Danacord, Non-Profit Music, Toccata Classics, Hyperion, Vela Records, and Virginia Records. His CD with Ronda and Chopin Variations was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque Chopin by the National Chopin Institute in Warsaw.
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Maria Martinova, klavir
Born in Varna, Maria Martinova started playing the piano, inspired by the rich a legacy of musicians in her family. As a truly versatile performer – in recital, as a soloist with an orchestra or as passionate chamber musician – Maria's engagements have taken her to prestigious halls such as Jahrhundert Halle, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, De Doelen, Flagey, Bozar, De Roma, the Barbican, St. Martin-in-the Fields, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, Wiener Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall. Her new solo album “Nuit et Jour” with works by Debussy, Ravel and contemporary Swiss composer Gregorio Zanon is released by the English record label Rubicon C.
Martin Tzonev
Born in Ruse, Martin Tsonev gradually expanded his range of performances, took part in a number of vocal competitions and received awards, had dozens of tours in various opera houses in Europe and South America, later concentrated his activities mainly in Germany - at the Opera Theater in Bonn, Beethoven's hometown. In 2012 he performed for the first time in Bulgaria "Concert Arias for Bass and Orchestra" by Mozart with the Ruse Philharmonic. On the stage of the National Opera in Sofia, Martin Tsonev made his debut in the role of Wotan from Wagner's "Rhine Gold" directed by Plamen Kartalov and conducted by Pavel Balev. Followed by "Valkyrie" and in 2012 - "Siegfried", invitations and performances for "The Ring of the Nibelungen" in Riga, Füssen, Nuremberg and Rome (with Kirill Petrenko) and the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow (with the Sofia Opera and Ballet). His performance of the part of Wotan in this first in the history of the Balkan Peninsula Wagner's Tetralogy was met with rapture both by the Bulgarian audience and by the Italian and German specialized press.
Mauro Secci, tenor
Mauro Secci is born in Cagliari and began his education at the State conservatoire “Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina” in his hometown, under the tutelage of M. Elisabetta Scano. He has taken part in masterclasses by Alberto Gazale, Jaume Aragall, Luciana Serra, Angelo Romero and Ricardo Zanelato. Currently, he is studying under M. Gianni Mastino.
Milen Bozhkov, tenor
Milen Bozhkov graduated from the Music Academy "Prof. Pancho Vladigerov"-Sofia and specialized in opera art at the University of Music - Graz, Austria under Prof. Joanna Borovska. He perfected his singing technique under Krassimira Stoyanova, and his first engagements were at the National Opera in Sofia under the direction of acad. Plamen Kartalov. After the accumulated experience, the doors of the Graz Opera opened for him. Performances in Japan, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Croatia, Latvia and Bulgaria followed. In 2024, the tenor will make his debut in the role of Verdi's Otello in the play of the same name, presented by the Staro Zagora Opera and featuring the stars Krasimira Stoyanova and Zelko Lucic.
Milen Kukosharov, piano
Famous for his virtuoso improvisations, Milen Kukosharov is one of the most sought-after and best-known performers in Bulgaria. He is the arranger of the solo concerts of established Bulgarian artists. Together with Veselin Veselinov - Eko (double bass) he is a member of the chamber duo "Das Weltschmerz DueTT". In recent years, Milen Kukosharov has expanded his professional interests as a composer in the field of classical music, theater and cinema. His works have won numerous awards through the years and he continues to work over different theater and film projects.
Mincho Minchev, violin
Mincho Minchev's art is valued with superlatives on four continents. He has played as a soloist with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC London Orchestra, London Mozart Players, and more. He has worked with world-renowned conductors such as Sir C. Groves, Sir N. Marriner, L. Slatkin, J. E. Gardiner. He has made many recordings at home and abroad, including for such labels as DECCA, Balkanton, Capriccio, Integral, as well as for West German Radio (WDR), Radio Geneva, Radio Sofia, BNT, Bucharest, and Belgrade Radio and Television. He has also judged a number of prestigious international competitions. He has judged prestigious international competitions, including Carl Flash (Great Britain), Rudolf Lipitzer (Italy), Ifra Niemann (Germany), Beethoven (Czech Republic), Jugend Musiziert (Germany), and others. Since 1993 he has been chairman of the Pancho Vladigerov Foundation and Chairman of the Violin Jury of the P. Vladigerov International Competition in Shumen.
Нadezhda Vlaeva, piano
Nadezhda Vlaeva is a laureate of international awards and has performed in Europe, North America and Asia, including on the world stages of Carnegie Zankel Hall, Rose Hall in Lincoln Center in New York, Oriental Arts Center in Shanghai and Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Nadezhda was awarded Musician of the Year 2021 by the Bulgarian National Radio. She is an artist on the British record label Hyperion Records and is the first to record the complete collection of Bach/Saint-Saëns piano transcriptions, named by BBC Music Magazine as a "positively stunning" CD of the month. He also devotes some of his time to composing, the fruit of which are several original pieces and arrangements that are in the process of being published by Contemporary Composers Circle in Colorado.
Nadezhda Tsanova, piano
Nadezhda Tsanova - a young and extremely talented Bulgarian pianist makes her debut at the March Music Days IF in Ruse in partnership with one of the most popular Bulgarian instrumentalists, the clarinetist Rosen Idealov. At the National Academy of Music, Nadezhda Tsanova studied piano with Prof. Stella Dimitrova – Maistorova. He specialized in the Royal Conservatory of Belgium in Brussels under Prof. Boyan Vodenicharov. She also specializes in Paris, a city he loves very much. She attended the master classes of prof. Marcella Grudelli - Germany, prof. Valery Shkarupa from Russia, Plamena Mangovav in Sofia and prof. Maurizio Moretti in Sardinia.
Nikolay Minchev, violin
Nikolay Minchev graduated from the Folkwang University of Arts in Essen (Germany), in the classes of Nana Yashvili and Mincho Minchev. In the period 2001–2003 he was first concertmaster of the Philharmonic Orchestra in Essen, and from 2003 he was concertmaster of the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra. He is currently performing as a soloist of the "Sofia Soloists" ensemble together with his father - Mincho Minchev.
Plovdiv Opera Symphony Orchestra
The orchestra of the State Opera - Plovdiv is the successor of the Plovdiv Philharmonic - the first non-capital and most authoritative state orchestra, created in 1945. The chief conductors in the past years were Vladi Simeonov, Ruslan Raichev, Mesru Mehmedov, Dobrin Petkov, Dimitar Manolov, Vladimir Gyaurov, Borislav Ivanov, Nayden Todorov, Georgi Dimitrov, Alexey Izmirliev. Since the beginning of the 2013/2014 concert season, the band's musical director is Dian Chobanov.
Pavel Balev
Pavel Ballev made his debut as a conductor when he was eighteen years old. led the Chamber Opera in Dresden, he was also the first conductor and music director of the Opera Houses in Rostock (1999 – 2002) and Halle (2002 – 2008). Since 2007, he has been the chief conductor of the Baden-Baden Philharmonic and the chief artistic director of the "Karl Flesch" International Summer Academy in collaboration with the concertmasters of the Berlin Philharmonic. From 2021, Pavel Ballev holds the post of General Music Director of Theater Nordhausen and Loo-Orchester Sondershausen in Germany, and from 2022 he also takes over the musical direction of the Opera in Limoges, France.
Pavel Gomziakov, cello
Born in the town of Tchaikovsky in the Ural region of Russia, Pavel Gomzyakov made his highly acclaimed US debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Trevor Pinnock in April 2010, leading to an immediate second engagement in June 2012. He has performed throughout Europe, South America and Japan and is in particular demand as a chamber performer. Noticed by the great pianist Maria João Pires, he made impressive tours with her throughout Europe, the Far East and South America. Their recording of Chopin's late works for Deutsche Grammophon, released in 2009, received a Grammy Award nomination. Gomzyakov currently lives in Lisbon, Portugal. Thanks to a generous loan from J. Ng (Hong Kong), Pavel Gomzyakov is currently playing a beautiful instrument by David Tekler- ex Romberg (Roma, 1703).
Plamen Dzhurov
A graduate of the Music Academy in Sofia, today Plamen Dzhurov is one of the iconic figures in Bulgarian music. From 1988 to 2022 he has been the conductor of the Sofia Soloists Ensemble, with whom he performed hundreds of concerts in over 30 countries in Europe, North America, Japan and Korea. Among his numerous radio and television recordings (over 400) is the series of first performances of works by Bulgarian and foreign authors, as well as recordings for the companies Denon, Victor, ABC, Records, with which he released the integrals of the piano concertos of JS Bach and an integral panorama of the literature for guitar and orchestra.
Plamena Mangova, piano
Plamena Mangova won the second prize in the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2007 and embarked on a brilliant international career, which brought her to almost all corners of the world. Сritics love and follow her ... "It is rare to experience a real emotional shock when listening to an artist ... There was no drop in tension in this extensive program. Delightful technique, amazing balance, and perfect polyphonic reading, even in the deepest passages ..."
Concertclassic.com (for her recital at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris)
Radostina Nikolaeva, sopran
For over 20 years now, Radostina Nikolaeva has been a leading soprano at the Sofia Opera and Ballet, where she plays central roles in operas by Verdi, Puccini, Mozart and Wagner. She was born in Ruse, where she graduated from the "Prof. Veselin Styanov" National University of Music, and then the "Pancho Vladigerov" National Academy of Music in Sofia in the class of Prof. Irena Brambarova. The opera prima has many honors in her biography, including awards from the national competition "Prof. Hristo Brambarov" (2001), the International Competition for Young Opera Singers "Boris Hristov" (2004), the International Competition "Ottavio Ziino" (2005). She won both of the highest awards - First Prize and Audience Award at the international competition "Premio Spiros Argiris 9 Concorso Internazionale per Giovani Cantanti Lirici" (2008). For the role of Amelia in "Ball with Masks" she was awarded the Crystal Lyre Award in 2009.
Rosen Idealov, clarinet
Rosen Idealov - one of the leading Bulgarian instrumentalists, again on the stage of MF "March Music Days" in partnership with the talented Bulgarian pianist Nadezhda Tsanova. Rosen Idealov's art has been connected for years with contemporary Bulgarian music and the musical life of Bulgaria. Rosen Idealov has been actively performing for 40 years as a soloist and chamber musician at home and abroad. He is an extremely active and key figure for both the Bulgarian music scene and the development of Bulgarian music culture in general.
Romanian National Symphony Orchestra
The National Symphony Orchestra of Romania has had quite a history! In 2008 famed Romanian cellist Marin Cazacu founded the Romanian Youth Orchestra that became internationally famous in Europe and in the next three years the Romanian Sinfonietta Orchestra and Junior Orchestra, altogether formed the most important educational program in music orchestra in Romania named The National Romanian Youth Orchestras. The first alumni generation of this project wished to continue to be part of the project thus forming the National Symphony Orchestra of Romania, known as the best team of young Romanian musicians. The orchestra has performed at the greatest concert halls around the world and in Europe, performing with leading musicians including Pinchas Zukerman, Cristian Macelaru, David Garrett, Sarah Chang, Cristian Mandeal, etc.
Ruse Philharmonic Orchestra
The Ruse Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1948 by the famous Bulgarian conductor and composer Konstantin Iliev. The orchestra realized many tours in Germany, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Romania, Spain, and France and has recordings in BNR, BNT, and Berlin Radio. It has released also a series of CDs for Forlan - France and Vienna Modern Masters - Austria. In 1961 the orchestra founded the MF "March Music Days", and the first in Bulgaria Philharmonic Festival "Winter Music Evenings". The orchestra participates in the international festivals "March Music Days", "Sofia Music Weeks", "Varna Summer", as well as in such major international forums as the Berlin Music Festival and "Siena Music Weeks", where it collaborates with F. Ferrara, K. M. Giulini, G. Rozhdestvensky, K. Richarelli, B. Belkin, Y. Bashmet, and others.
Signum saxophone quartet
The four musicians Blaze Kemperle, Jacopo Taddei, Alan Lujar and Guerino Bellarosa meet in Cologne, where they founded the saxophone quartet SIGNUM in 2006. They are in a break in search of new ideas, challenges and intriguing artistic encounters. The quartet has performed in a number of prestigious venues such as the Barbican Center in London, Konzerthaus Vienna, Konzertgebau Amsterdam, Center for Fine Arts in Brussels, Gulbenkian Lisbon, Festival Palace in Baden-Baden, Philharmonie in Luxembourg, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Philharmonie in Cologne and etc. In 2016, SIGNUM received the "Best Ensemble" award from the prestigious German festival Festspiele Mecklenburg Vorpommern.
Svetlana Ancheva, oboe
Svetlana Ancheva was born in the city of Ruse. She graduated from V. Stoyanov High School in Ruse and P. Vladigerov National Music Academy in Sofia with oboe and choral conducting. She has been a soloist of the Ruse Philharmonic Orchestra, Sofia National Opera House, Ruse Youth Festival Orchestra, and of the Philharmonic orchestras in Schumen, Burgas, Plovdiv, Ruse. Participates as a soloist in the international festivals "March Music Days", "Nova Musica" - Sofia, Chamber Music Week "Konstantin Iliev" - Dobrich, "Koreadi" in France, and "Kharkov Ensemble" - Ukraine. Performs the Bulgarian and world premieres of music by Anatoly Vieru, Yong-Te Ha, Jean Frances, V. Kazandjiev, and K. Iliev.
Svetlin Roussev, violin
The charismatic violinist Svetlin Rusev enjoys a brilliant international career in many of the big concert halls around the world. He performs under the baton of famous conductors and shares his devotion to music with his numerous fans around the world, both as a soloist and as a remarkable chamber musician. His intense concert activity takes him all over the world - Europe, the USA, Latin America, and Asia. He is a regular guest soloist in orchestras of the highest class, such as the National Orchestra of France, the French Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of Romanesque Switzerland, Belgian National Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic.
Svilen Dimitrov
As one of the famous Ruse choir conductors and as a leader of the eminent Ruse choir "Prof. V. Arnaudov" from 2015/2016, Svilen Dimitrov has significant merits for the development of musical life in Ruse. Graduated from NMA in Sofia with the specialties choral and orchestra conducting, he returned to Ruse as a teacher at the Ruse National School of Arts.
Under his conducting the choir V. Arnaudov regularly participates in the program of "March Music Days" International Festival and performs a number of very successful concerts and projects, including "Orpheus and Eurydice" by Christoph Willibald Gluck, "Gloria" by Antonio Vivaldi, "Magnificat" by John Ruther.
Sergei Dogadin, violin
One of the brightest representatives of the Russian violin school, Sergei Dogadin is establishing a strong international career as a soloist and chamber musician with his captivating performances. Dogadin has won a number of the most prestigious violin competitions including the XVI Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow, where he was awarded the First Prize and the Gold Medal (2019). An active and passionate chamber musician, in 2020/21 Dogadin appears, amongst others, at the Theatre des Champs Elysees in Paris and at the St Petersburg Philharmonic Hall with E. Sinaisky and regularly performs with D. Trifonov, N. Hakhnazaryan, D. Matsuev, D. Geringas, M. Rysanov.
Sergei Krilov, violin & conductor
Effervescent musicianship, intense lyricism, and beguiling tonal beauty belong to the qualities that have secured Sergej Krylov’s place among today’s most renowned performers. A regular guest with several major institutions and the world’s leading orchestras, Sergej Krylov has appeared with the Russian National Orchestra, Filarmonica Della Scala, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, DSO Berlin, and Budapest Festival Orchestra. As Music Director of the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra since 2008, Sergej Krylov loves assuming the dual role of soloist and conductor in a wide repertoire ranging from Baroque to contemporary music. Highlights of the previous seasons include performances with London Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic orchestra, Berner Symphonie Orchester, Dresdner Philharmonie, Philharmonie Zuidnederland, Slovenska Filharmonija, Moscow and St Petersburg Philharmonics, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.
Simon Trpceski, piano
Simon Trpčeski has been praised not only for his powerful virtuosity and deeply expressive approach but also for his charismatic stage presence. Launched on the international stage twenty years ago as the artist of the New Generation of the BBC, he makes an incredibly fast-paste career that knows no cultural or musical boundaries, Simon has collaborated with over a hundred orchestras on four continents, including the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, City of Birmingham Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Deutsche Sinfonie Orchester Berlin and Dresden Philharmonic, while In North America, he is a frequent soloist with the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras, the Los Angeles and New-York Philharmonic. In chamber music, Simon Trpčeski regularly partners with cellist Daniel Müller-Schott, and regularly appears as a chamber musician in festivals such as Aspen, Verbier, Risor, Bergen, and the Baltic Sea Festival. As a high acclaimed recitalist, Simon Trpčeski has performed in the most renowned music centers in the world.
Slav Slavchev, English horn
Slav Slavchev graduated from the Pancho Vladigerov National Academy of Music. He studied and specialized at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich, majoring in oboe under Professor Francois Lelo. In the period 1996/20211 he lived and worked in Germany, where he actively participated in the concert and recording activities of renowned symphony orchestras. Since 2011 he has been a solo oboist with the BNR Symphony Orchestra and since 2014 he has been managing record projects for the foreign market with the BNR Symphony Orchestra.
Sofia Philharmonic
The Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra has long established itself as one of the leading institutes in the musical life of Bulgaria. Beginning more than half a century ago, It has successfully performed in the largest music centers in Europe, Asia, America, greeted by the most demanding audience with loud acclamations. The recording activity of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra related to the companies "Balkanton", "Gega", "Naxos", "Supraphon", "Elan", "Frekvenz", "Koch", "Mega", "Capriccio", as well as recordings in Radio Paris, Radio Berlin, Radio Moscow, Radio Munich, the BNR and BNT.
Modigliani String Quartet
„One of today’s best quartets in the world... Balance, transparency, symphonic comprehension, confident style, their performance reached a very high and inspiring level.” Harald Eggebrecht, Süddeutsche Zeitung. Founded in 2003, the Modigliani String Quartet, based in Paris, has toured regularly with world-class concert halls and participated in the most renowned chamber music and string quartet events. It is a special honor for the musicians to be the first string quartet to play in 2017 at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. In the new season, the quartet is fully dedicated to the performance of all string quartets by Franz Schubert in connection with its 225th anniversary in 2022. The quartet is also expected to perform a cycle of all 15 string quartets by Schubert. Their concert in Ruse is а part of this large-scale project. The quartet has been recording for Mirare Label since 2008 and has released 10 award-winning CDs.
"Frosch" String Quartet
One of the most famous Bulgarian string quartets begins its concert activity with participation in the Bulgarian National Radio series "The Radio Soloists". The ensamble is a regular participant in major national and international festivals in the country and abroad. It is a winner of the Second Prize of the International Competition for Austrian Music in Sofia. The quartet played in the Oslo concert hall and made dozens of Bulgarian and world premieres of music by J. Krumb, O. Golikhov, St. Reich, T. Reilly, V. Kazandzhiev, L. Denev, R. Balozov, Dr. Yosifov and others. The quartet is the winner of the "Crystal Lyre" award of the Union of Music and Dance Actors in Bulgaria. He also won First Prize at the Academic Competition for Chamber Music, dedicated to the composer Marin Goleminov. In 2017, "Frosh" performed the opening concert of the program of the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Moscow and the Tchaikovsky Museum. In the period January-June 2018, the quartet participated in the project of the Sofia Philharmonic "Music of Europe" with two concerts dedicated to the Czech Republic and Great Britain.
Vision String Quartet
The album "Spectrum" of the Vision String Quartet presents 13 composed songs, arranged and produced by the four young musicians from Berlin. Inspired by folk, pop, rock, funk, and minimalism, they embarked on a journey to their own sound and genre. The result is an unprecedented musical adventure without borders, shaped by personal experiences, new and old meetings, as well as impressions of different cultures. They create a whole world of sounds with their four-stringed instruments - from guitar, ukulele, and bass to bongo and even a whole set of drums. Founded in 2012 and based in Berlin, the Vision String Quartet has already established itself as one of the finest young string quartets of its generation. Their distinctive characteristics of performing concerts completely from memory and standing up lend its performances an added intimacy and intensity which has been widely praised. The Quartet records exclusively for Warner Classics, their debut album Memento was released in March 2020 and won the coveted Opus Klassik.
Trio Abstrakt
In 2016 Salim(a) Javad (saxophone), Shiau-Shiuan Hng (percussion) and Marlis Debaker created the contemporary music ensemble - Trio "Abstrakt". The combination of instruments, equally reminiscent of a chamber ensemble and a free jazz combo, allows the musicians to draw from a rich arsenal of sounds and means of expression. The ensemble plays at important contemporary music festivals and institutions such as NOW! Essen Philharmonic Festival, Venice Art Biennale, Bremen Contemporary Music Biennale, Impulse Academy/Festival Graz, Mozartfest Würzburg, Center for Culture and Media Karlsruhe, Conference of the International Association of Music Centers in Munich in 2022. The trio is currently supported by the Deutscher Musikrat's InSZene (Contemporary Music Interpreters Scholarship) program as well as Ensembleförderung NRW.
Ruse Festival Orchestra
The Ruse Festival Orchestra is a unique project, carrying in itself the deep and lasting connections between different generations of musicians from all over the world, who made their first professional steps at the National School of Arts Prof. Veselin Stoyanov - Ruse. Established in 2010 for the 50th anniversary of the school on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of March Music Days I.F., the Festival Orchestra makes its first successful program within the festival with the participation of world-famous Bulgarian musicians - graduates of the school, Emil Tabakov, Svetlin Roussev, and piano duo Aglika Genova & Lyuben Dimitrov. 2021 will be memorable in the history of the orchestra with the participation of the world-famous opera prima Krassimira Stoyanova with "Four Last Songs" by R. Strauss and with the world premiere of the Violin concerto by Maestro Emil Tabakov, dedicated to the festival and its first performers - The Ruse Festival Orchestra and the great Bulgarian violinist Svetlin Roussev.
"Prof. Vasil Arnaudov" Mixed Choir – Ruse
Founded in 1993, the Ruse Choir Prof. Vasil Arnaudov fulfills invariably its mission to preserve and develop the choral tradition, created by the great Bulgarian conductor and pedagogue Prof. Vasil Arnaudov. Dragomir Yosifov has been the artistic director and conductor of the choir since its founding until 2015. The choir has won two gold medals and the Grand Prize at the Third International Choir Competition in Polheim, Germany. In 2002 it wins the First Prize of the International Choral Competition Dragan Shuplevski - Skopje, Macedonia, and in 2004 it received the Grand Prix of the Choral Competition in Nis, Yugoslavia. From the 2015/16 season, the conductor of the choir is Svilen Dimitrov. Other significant works in the repertoire of the choir are Orpheus and Eurydice of Kr. W. Gluck, Gloria by A. Vivaldi, Magnificat by John Ruther. In 2024, the choir will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a special program within the "March Music Days".
Jose Cura
One of the famous performers of our time, José Luis Victor Cura Gómez is an Argentine operatic tenor, conductor, director, scenographer, and photographer known for intense and original interpretations of opera characters, notably Otello in Verdi’s Otello, Samson in Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila, Canio in Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, Stiffelio in Giuseppe Verdi's Stiffelio and many others. After graduating in orchestral conducting, Jose Cura's vocal talents were unrecognized until 1988. He entered opera history when he first conducted "Cavalleria Rusticana", then took the stage after an intermission to sing Canio in "Pagliacci" at the State Opera in Hamburg in February 2003. He became the first performer to sing and conduct at the same time and the first to combine singing with symphonic works in concert format.
Tsvetelina Vasileva, soprano
Highly praised by critics, Tsvetelina Vasileva is among the leading names of the European opera scene. She has given concerts in most European capitals and in the most prestigious concert halls in the world - in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, at the Royal Albert Hall, London (gala concert "Night of the Stars" with Armiliato, Agnes Balza, Daniela Desi, Rosalind Plowright, J. Cilico, Jose Cura, Giuseppe Giacomini), and also in America - in Toronto with "Jeanne d'Arc" by Verdi and even - on Red Square in Moscow. She is a laureate of the "Tito Skipa" and "Francesco Chilea" International competitions in Italy and specializes in the famous tenor Carlo Bergonzi in Milan at the school of La Scala. She works with some of the most famous conductors of our time.
Yuriy Ilinov
Conductor and pianist, Yuriy Ilinov is working at the Altenburg Theater in Gera, Germany since 2019. In the period 2016-2019, he is a conductor at the Ruse State Opera and later works as a conductor and accompanist at the National Opera and Ballet in Sofia.
Yavor Zhelev, flute
After graduating from the Music High School in his hometown of Ruse, Yavor Zhelev is lucky to work at the National Academy of Music "Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” in Sofia with one of the leading Bulgarian flutists and pedagogues, such as Professor Georgi Spasov. In 1993, only 24 years old, Yavor Zhelev was already a member of the Symphony Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio, and since 2005 he is its first flutist. There are numerous recordings of music from all styles and eras. As one of the permanent members of the only ensemble for contemporary music in our country - Ensemble "New Music" led by famous Bulgarian conductor and composer Dragomir Yosifov, Yavor Zhelev participated in a number of premiere performances of new Bulgarian and European music.
Yana Gottheil, violin
Yana Gottheil was born in Rousse. Graduated from NUI "Prof. Vesselin Stoyanov" – Ruse, NMA "Pancho Vladigerov" – Sofia and the Higher School of Music in Cologne, Germany. He received a special distinction after specializing in chamber music in the class of Andreas Rainer at the Essen University of Music.
