INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL 
"VARNA SUMMER"  
Founded 1926
Member of European Festival Association 

23 July 1926, Varna Open-air theater - It rang with the first notes of the first edition of the VARNA MUSIC CELEBRATIONS.
The ambitious and patriotic idea of the Varna citizens Gercho GERCHEV, Ivan KAMBUROV, Vasil STAVREV, Nayden NAYDENOV and Yordan TODOROV came true. It was heartily supported by the composers Dobri HRISTOV, Pancho VLADIGEROV, maestro Georgi ATANASOV… Probably all those people and many other notable Bulgarians, who had contributed to the birth of Varna Music Celebrations, never realized the importance of their mission, initiated in that July evening by the sea-side.
But more important for Varna and Bulgaria is that the space, conquered by the music, has been kept by future generations. Something more – overcoming the cataclysms of war, of social and political changes, the Varna celebrations have won the prestige and fame of an INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL, whose 80th anniversary we celebrate now!
Let us honour the founders of the INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL, WHICH NAME IS ASSOCIATED WITH … THE SUN! Because isn’t the sun the first picture of the Varna summer, emerging in your mind? Let us honour them for their wisdom and sagacity, for their patriotism and historical massage, they bequeathed to us. For the music.
At moments like this one our memory, somehow naturally, tries to emphasize, to revive, to recollect the most important of the past. And if today, in 2006, the historical beginning of this 80-year old music feast looks a little bit pathetic, a little bit sentimental and nostalgic, the future of this festival, European by birth, is quite sunny. It is a certainty. Since the spirit of the VARNA SUMMER is still alive and the MUSIC is eternal.

Kiril Yordanov
Varna, 2006
 

The Varna Summer International Music Festival is the oldest music festival in Bulgaria and one of the festivals with the longest tradition in Europe. It is held every year in June-July.


The festival has won national and international recognition and today it is an important and prestigious forum of Bulgarian and world music and performing art in the field of classical music. The rich and varied programme is a visiting card of Varna as a center of international cultural tourism. The diversity of genres features opera, symphony concerts, chamber and choral music, cycles "Early Music" and "Young Talents", International Summer Academy, Summer Scientific Meetings. 

During its 80-year existence the Festival has achieved national and international recognition. It has contributed greatly for the promotion of Bulgarian musical composing and performing art. The slogan of the founders "to bring together the greatest music authorities in the country" has found its followers in the promotion of Bulgarian musical art today. A great number of Bulgarian music pieces have been first performed at Varna Summer.

In the overall image of the festival features masterpieces of Bulgarian and world music with a diversity of genres and performance of renowned musicians. Varna Music Institutions and renowned Bulgarian performers and groups traditionally perform here.

Foreign soloists, conductors, symphony and chamber orchestras, choirs, opera ensembles, ballet companies of world value impress with their yearly presence such as the Maly Theatre - Leningrad, the National Academic Theater for Opera and Ballet - Odessa, Ballet of the Hungarian Opera, the Ballet Company of Komische Oper-Berlin, Bolshoi Theatre - Moscow, Picolla Scala-Milano, Gyorgy Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Royal Swedish Ballet, Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, Leningrad Radio Symphony Orchestra, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lyon Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, Milan's La Scala Chamber Orchestra, Schubert Ensemble, "Borodin" Quartet, Camerata Amsterdam, Camerata Trajektina...

Premiers feature largely in each year's editions. The cycles "Days of the Young Chamber Performer" and "Early Music" are also met with great interest. Since 1984 Varna Summer Academy has featured within the festival. The Master classes are conducted by tutors and performers of international authority and fame. Since 1993 Varna Summer has been enriched by the Scientific Meetings.