21 June

THE OPERA-PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY - VARNA has succeeded the Varna Philharmonic Orchestra and Varna Opera which have more than 60-year long history and rich artistic biography. The activity of these two institutions has been traditionally connected with the Varna Summer International Music Festival. A number of premieres have been produced on the festival stage. The founders of orchestra Sasha Popov and Ruslan Raichev as well as the conductors Yosko Yossifov, Konstantin Iliev, Emil Glavanakov, Ivan Marinov, Yordan Daffov have had considerable impact on its artistic development. The Orchestra has successfully taken part in prestigious festivals in Bulgaria and abroad and has performed as a visiting orchestra in Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Russia, France, Austria, Spain, etc.

Since the beginning of 2000 Chief Conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra has been STANISLAV USHEV, graduated in 1985 from Rimski-Korsakov Conservatory, St. Petersburg in operatic and symphonic conducting class with Prof. Maris Jansons. In the period 1985-1993 he was conductor of the Pleven Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 1996 he has been Director of the Shumen Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been a guest conductor in Russia, Spain, France, Romania, Greece, South Korea, Italy, Japan. He has worked with the most outstanding Bulgarian and foreign soloists instrumentalists and singers.

LYUDMIL ANGELOV, born in Varna, graduated at the Pancho Vladigerov State Music Academy in Sofia. He has been awarded with prizes at international competitions, including Fryderyk Chopin (Poland, 1985), Palm Beach International Competition (USA, 1990), Piano Masters (Monte Carlo, 1994) and World Piano Masters Tour (France, 1997). Well known across Europe, USA, South America, Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan, Lyudmil Angelov has given recitals, chamber music concerts and has played as soloist with all Bulgarian and many prestigious foreign orchestras under the baton of conductors such as L. Foster, J. DePriest, J.-B. Pommier, M. Andreae, J. Pons, P. Halffter, E. Garcia Asensio, E. Tabakov, G. Dimitrov, Vl. Ghiaurov, R. Milanov, etc. During the season 1987/1988 L. Angelov performed the complete piano works by Chopin in series of 12 recitals. The pianist’s debut recital in New York was in 1990 at Lincoln Centre. He resides in Spain where he has founded and is currently an artistic director of the International Music Festival in Toledo. The pianist has realised recordings for RСА, Gega new, France Classique, Pentatone and Danacord. His recording of Chopin’s Complete Rondos & Variations was awarded by the International Chopin Institute in Warsaw with Grand Prix du Disque Chopin.