European Music Festival
European Music Festival Varna was founded in 2004 on the idea of Maria Kondova, in partnership with Cantus Firmus Agency. It’s held annually, usually in spring, under the cultural brand of Elite Music. Established first as a replica of the European Music Festival in Sofia but self-managed and financed, and subsequently self-programmed.
European Music Festival Varna enriches the cultural calendar of the city and the region, and expands the time limits of the active festival season, concentrated so far during the summer months. Very soon the festival has established itself as one of the main festivals of music art in Varna and as a prestigious stage where the highest standards of Bulgarian, European and world music and performing arts meet.
Special attention in the programming of the festival is paid to modern trends in the development of music arts, the presentation of new or rarely performed works by Bulgarian and foreign authors, the opportunity for young Bulgarian talents, as well as the presentation of current jazz and crossover projects.
European Music Festival Varna has so far presented on its stage over 100 concert projects with the participation of eminent performers, chamber ensembles and orchestras from Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Israel, Spain, Italy, Poland, Russia, Hungary, France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, USA, Argentina, etc., as well as world famous Bulgarian performers.
Among the stars of the festival are Nigel Kennedy, Richard Clayderman, Roby Lakatos, Shlomo Mintz, Paco Peña, Arcangel, David Pérez, Vasko Vassilev, Theodosii Spassov, Svetlin Roussev, Mila Georgieva, Mario Hossen, Plamena Mangova, Evgeni Bozhanov, Vesko Eschkenazy, Ludmil Angelov, Aglika Genova and Liuben Dimitrov piano duo, JP3 Jivko Petrov Trio, Brass Association, Beloslava, Hilda Kazasyan and others. Among the visiting chamber ensembles shine the names of Berlin Philharmonic String Quintet, Rastrelli Cello Quartet, SIGNUM saxophone quartet, Grzech Piotrowski World Orchestra. World-famous chamber orchestras such as the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, La Scala di Milano (Cameristi della Scala), the legendary Baroque ensemble I Musici di Roma, Budapest Chamber Orchestra, as well as a number of Bulgarian symphony and chamber orchestras like the Classic FM Radio Orchestra, Rousse Philharmonic Orchestra, Varna Philharmonic Orchestra, Sofia Soloists Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Orphica, Studio Primo and others being on the stage as festival guests.
European Music Festival’s concerts are performed in all major concert halls in Varna – the Palace of Culture and Sports, the Festival and Congress Center, Varna Opera Theatre, Varna City Art Gallery, as the events are attended by over 6,000 music lovers every year.
Being a forum of wide public response, the festival receives annual financial support from the Culture Fund of the Municipality of Varna. Long-term corporate partners of the festival are Topola Skies and Express Garantion, Comfort Construction, Solvay Sodi, Logos Real Estate, Varna Construction Company, Nira Communications.
The traditional media partners of the festival are BNR Radio Varna, Impressio.dir.bg, Moreto.net and ArtVarna.net.