Two young Bulgarians will have their debut at the European Music Festival

published on 3/25/25 5:05 AM

Nikolay Marinov (left) and Angel Yalachkov

Photo: European Music Festival

Renowned soloists and ensembles are special guests at the 25th edition of the European Music Festival in Sofia, which began on March 12. The festival is organized by Cantus Firmus with the support of the Sofia Municipality and the Ministry of Culture.

Virtuosos perform in the jubilee edition of the European Music Festival in Sofia

As part of the programme, the debut recital of the young Bulgarian pianists Angel Yalachkov and Nikolay Marinov will take place on March 25 in the hall of the Polish Institute in Sofia. The two participate in the festival as laureates of the third edition of the National Competition for Young Instrumentalists "Cantus Firmus" in 2023, where they shared the first prize in their age category. They are currently students at the National Music Academy "Prof. Pancho Vladigerov" in the class of Prof. Borislava Taneva, who defines them as "two of the most promising names from the generation of pianists around 20 years old". ‎

Nikolay Marinov was born in Plovdiv. His first piano inspiration was the legendary jazzman Milcho Leviev. He graduated from the Music School in his hometown, then went to London, where he was accepted into the Royal College of Art, but a year later he decided to continue his studies in Sofia. The young musician says that one year was enough for him to realize that he did not see the expected development for himself in Great Britain.

Today he is convinced that the decision to return to his homeland was the right one. Marinov is a laureate of national and international competitions, including Grand Prize Virtuoso - London, "Nikolai Rubinstein" - Paris, American Protege - New York.‎

Angel Yalackov is a graduate of the National Music Academy "Lyubomir Pipkov" in Sofia. At just 5 years old, he was delighted by the sound of the accordion, but since he was too young, he started playing the piano. In 2023, he graduated from the Music School, where his teacher was one of the most prominent piano teachers in Bulgaria - Prof. Alexander Vasilenko.

Angel is the winner of over 50 awards from international competitions in Bulgaria, Singapore, Russia, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Finland, Romania, Slovakia, Croatia, Greece, Serbia, Macedonia. He is a scholarship holder of the Ministry of Culture, several international foundations and was awarded by the National Culture Fund for high achievements in the field of arts and culture.

Yalachkov and Marinov will present works by Liszt, Prokofiev, Vladigerov, Bach/Busoni, as well as by Polish composers Karol Szymanowski and Fryderyk Chopin at the Polish Institute.