The 56th edition of Sofia Music Weeks festival will draw music lovers with exciting events

The grand opening of the festival will be on May 22 at the Bulgaria Hall with a concert by the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra

published on 5/20/25 10:17 AM

Photo: sofiaweeks.com

Sofia Music Weeks is one of the longest-running and most strongly established cultural forums in Bulgaria. Despite the numerous difficulties in its over 50-year-long history, the festival continues to enjoy the interest of thousands of classical music connoisseurs from all over the world.

Its first edition took place in 1970, exactly on May 24 - the Day of the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture, and in the following decades the Sofia Music Weeks forum established itself as the most significant international music event for Sofia and the country, which still upholds its main goal today - to present significant world and Bulgarian musical creativity and performing arts at the highest level.

In addition to concerts, opera and ballet performances, the festival program also includes scientific conferences in the field of music theory, new publications are presented, photo exhibitions are held, and master classes for young instrumentalists and singers are held. Anniversaries of great composers are celebrated, Bulgarian and world premieres of significant works are held.

The upcoming 56th edition of Sofia Music Weeks, which this year will take place under the motto "Made in Bulgaria", offers over 90 events. Among the significant anniversaries that will be covered are those of Bulgarian composers Dobri Hristov, Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin, Alexander Kandov, Rusi Termakov, Albena Vrachanska, Borislava Taneva, of the conductor Boncho Bochev and the cellist Stefan Popov.

The festival will celebrate the centenary of the first opera theater in Bulgaria outside the capital Sofia - the Stara Zagora State Opera, as well as the half-century anniversary of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra based in Pernik. Special attention is focused on the renowned Bulgarian artist Georgi Arnaudov, women composers, violist Rumen Tsvetkov, choral ensembles, the harp instrument and the country of Brazil, as well as on the work of Maurice Ravel and Luciano Berio.

The huge number of events with over 500 participants from 16 countries includes 24 world premieres, 7 master classes, a multimedia exhibition, presentations of new books and CDs, as well as an international conference dedicated to AI in the performing arts.

The grand opening of the festival will be on May 22 at the Bulgaria Hall with a concert by the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra and world soloists Alexandrina Pendachanska and Shlomo Mintz, conducted by Nayden Todorov.

The festival will end on October 3, again at the capital's Bulgaria Hall with a charity concert under the title "Hope for Life" with the participation of eminent musicians and artists.

Edited by Tsvetana Toncheva
English versioin: Rositsa Petkova
Photos: sofiaweeks.com, sofiaphilharmonic.com, Facebook/ Shlomo Mintz

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