The Varna Summer International Music Festival is the oldest music festival in Bulgaria and one of the longest festival traditions in Europe. The music has evolved considerably over time. The sound quality is much better in modern times as you can imagine. It is possible that this is down to some of the audio equipment created by Graham Slee HiFi System Components. Each year the Bulgarian seaside capital welcomes an exciting musical feast with everything from symphony orchestras and solo artists to opera, ballet and choral performances. There are performances all summer long, so pick the one you like and make it an outing! If you are traveling from another area of the globe to make a visit to this festival, then you may want to check out the best ways to travel in style, whether that be on a plane or even a private jet for some summer luxury. You can check out the cost to charter a private jet on websites like jettly.com and others like it so you are prepared for holiday fun.
Varna Summer International Music Festival 2017: Programme
With so many events scheduled, it can be difficult to keep up. Below you’ll find a list of events to attend, with something different for everyone. Huge events like this are difficult to organise, but the Varna Summer International Music Festival runs like a well-oiled machine thanks to effective management which you can learn more about if you visit website here. Here is the complete list of events included in the Varna Summer International Music Festival 2017.
08 June 2017
Desplante
Contemporary flamenco show by the Spanish dance star Eduardo Guerrero in collaboration with the Varna Summer International Theatre Festival. Produced with kind assistance from the Embassy of Spain in Sofia and the Cervantes Institute Sofia.
Time: 20:30
Venue: Festival and Congress Center
12 June 2017
La Traviata – Satellite Broadcast
Metropolitan Opera production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, starring Sonya Yoncheva as Violetta and Michael Fabiano as Alfredo. Thomas Hampson plays Germont. Produced in collaboration with the Varna Summer International Theatre Festival.
Time: 19:00
Venue: Festival and Congress Center
25 June 2017 Symphony and Chamber Music
Opening concert – Varna Philharmonic Orchestra
Emil Tabakov, Conductor
Soloists:
Mincho Minchev, violin
Young-Chang Cho, cello
Evgeni Bozhanov, piano
Programme:
Pancho Vladigerov – Bulgarian rhapsody “Vardar”
Ludwig van Beethoven – Triple Concerto C Major , op. 56
Emil Tabakov – Five Bulgarian Dances
Time: 20:00
Venue: Festival and Congress Center, Hall 1
26 June 2017 Symphony and Chamber Music
Lana Trotovsek and Ludmil Angelov
Lana Trotovsek, violin, Slovenia
Ludmil Angelov, piano
Programme:
Ludwig van Beethoven – Sonata for violin and piano No. 3
Johannes Brahms – Sonata for violin and piano No. 3
Eduard Napravnik – Sonata for violin and piano
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
27 June 2017 Symphony and Chamber Music
150 Years Canada – Multimedia Project Canada in Sound and Color
Yarilo Piano Duo, Canada
Jane Hayes and Anna Levy
Programme:
Works by Michael Conway Baker, Patrick Cardy, Ann Southam, Alexina Louie, and John Burke. Produced With kind support from the Canada Council for the Arts.
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
28 June 2017 Symphony and Chamber Music
Webern Kammerphilharmonie
Vladimir Kiradjiev, Conductor
Soloist Emmanuel Tjeknavorian, violin
Programme:
W. A. Mozart – Overture “Don Giovanni”
L. van Beethoven – Concerto for violin and orchestra in D major
Fr. Schubert – Symphony No.3 in D major
Time: 19:00
Venue: Festival and Congress Center, Hall 1
29 June 2017 Symphony and Chamber Music
Artis String Quartet, Austria
Peter Schuhmayer, violin
Johannes Meissl, violin
Herbert Kefer, viola
Othmar M?ller, violoncello
Programme:
Joseph Haydn – Quartet, Op. 76, No. 4 “Sunrise”
Alexander Zemlinsky – Quartet No. 4
Johannes Brahms – Quartet, Op. 51, No. 2 in A minor
Artis Quartet of Vienna
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
29 June 2017 Opera and Ballet in the Open-Air Theater
The Three Musketeers
Musical by Dunaevski, Bulgarian Premiere
Varna Opera
Nikolay Aprilov, Director
Stratsimir Pavlov, Conductor
Choreography by Tatyana Yaneva and Ivo Adov. Special participation of Ovanes Torosian in the role of d’Artagnan.
Time: 21:00
Venue: Open-air Theater
29 June 2017 Parallel Program
August Exhibition 70 Years Varna Opera
August Exhibition 70 Years Varna Opera – documents, photographs and drawings presented during the performances in the Open-air Theater.
Time: 21:00
Venue: Open-air Theater
30 June 2017 Symphony and Chamber Music
Sofia Soloists Chamber Ensemble
Plamen Dzhurov, Conductor
Soloist Georgi Cherkin, piano
Programme:
P.I.Tchaikovsky – The Seasons
Fr. Schubert–G. Mahler – The Death and the Maiden (String quartet in D minor D. 810)
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
01 July 2017 Symphony and Chamber Music
J. S. Bach – Goldberg Variations
Lilia Boyadjieva, piano
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
01 July 2017 Parallel Program
To the Portrait of Nikola Gyuzelev
Presentation of the book “To the Portrait of Nikola Gyuzelev” by Vladimir Gadzhev.
Time: 17:00
Venue: Radio Varna – Art Salon
02 July 2017 Symphony and Chamber Music
90th anniversary of the composer Petko Mechkov
Sinfonietta Chamber Ensemble
Milko Kolarov, Conductor
Morski Zvutsi Choir
Rositsa Shtereva, Conductor
Varna Boys’ and Youth Choir
Darina Krosneva, Conductor
Soloists:
Irina Zhekova, soprano
Hristo Ganevski, tenor
Evgeni Stanimirov, bass
Programme:
Works by H.Purcell, A. Caldara, P. Mechkov, Fr. Schubert
Time: 11:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
03 July 2017 Symphony and Chamber Music
Authors’ concert of Anatoly Vapirov dedicated to his 70th anniversary
Ruse Philharmonic Orchestra
Georgi Dimitrov, Conductor
Valeriy Georgiev, tenor
With Jazz Quintet featuring A. Vapirov, A. Donchev, S. Yankulov, D. Karamfilov, and M. Ivanov
Time: 19:00
Venue: Festival and Congress Center, Hall 1
04 July 2017 Symphony and Chamber Music
Ivan Thirion and Margarita Ilieva
Ivan Thirion, baritone
Margarita Ilieva, piano
Programme:
Works by Schumann, Faure, Duparc, and Ravel
Time: 19:00
Venue: Radio Varna – Concert Studio
04 July 2017 Opera and Ballet in the Open-Air Theater
Lucia di Lammermoor
opera by Donizetti, Premiere
Varna Opera
Nicoletta Conti, iConductor
Ognian Draganoff, Director
With Irina Zhekova, Svilen Nikolov, Nazar Tattshin, and Eugeniy Stanimirov
Time: 21:00
Venue: Open-air Theater
05 July 2017 Symphony and Chamber Music
Piano trio
Svetlin Roussev, violin
Xavier Phillips, cello
Elena Rozanova, piano
Programme:
Rachmaninoff – Trio élégiaque No. 1 in G minor
Shostakovich – Piano trio N 2
Rachmaninoff – Trio élégiaque No. 2 in D minor, Op. 9
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
05 July 2017 Collaboration
El Reino de Veriveri
Mastretta Ensemble, Spain
Nacho Mastretta, clarinet and accordion
Marina Sorin, cello and phonofiddle
Luca Frasca, piano/keyboard
Pablo Navarro, double bass
Coke Santos, drums
Produced in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in Bulgaria
Time 22:00
Venue: Menthol
06 July 2017 Symphony and Chamber Music
Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra
Nayden Todorov, Conductor
Soloists
Svetlin Roussev, violin
Xavier Phillips, violoncello
Programme:
Brahms – Concerto for violin and orchestra D major, Op.77
Brahms – Concerto for violin, violoncello and orchestra A minor, Op.102
Time: 19:00
Venue: Festival and Congress Center, Hall 1
07 July 2017 Symphony and Chamber Music
The Magic of French Music
Michael Krenn, saxophone
Evgenia Radoslavova, piano
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
07 July 2017 Opera and Ballet in the Open-Air Theater
Attila
Opera by Verdi, Premiere
Varna Opera
Jan van Maanen, Conductor
Deyan Miladinovich, Director
With Svetozar Rangelov, Ventseslav Anastasov, Linka Stoyanova, and Boris Lukov
Time: 21:00
Venue: Open-air Theater
08 July 2017 International Summer Academy
Concert by participants in the opera singing master classes
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
09 July 2017 International Summer Academy
Et Arsis Piano Quartet
Hristina Taneva, piano
Velislava Taneva, violin
Ainis Kasperavicius, viola
Diego Hernandez Suarez, violoncello
Programme:
Ludvig van Beethoven – Piano Quartet op.16 E flat Major
Bohuslav Martinu – Piano Quartet N 1
Peteris Vasks – Quartet for violin, viola, cello and piano
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
10 July 2017 International Summer Academy
Lubbandoneon
Gareth Lubbe, viola
Marcelo Nisinman, bandoneon
Tango, Polyphony, Improvisations, Overtone singing
Programme:
Works by Buxtehude, J.S. Bach, Nisinman, Britten, and Piazzolla
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
11 July 2017 International Summer Academy
Liya Petrova, violin
Programme:
Works by Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Mendelssohn
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
12 July 2017 International Summer Academy
Concert by prizewinners of the P. Vladigerov Competition, Shumen 2017
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
14 July 2017 International Summer Academy
Concert by participants in the violin master classes
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
14 July 2017 Opera and Ballet in the Open-Air Theater
Don Quixote
Ballet by Minkus
with prizewinners of the International Ballet Competition – Varna
Varna Opera
Sergey Bobrov, Choreography
Milen Apostolov, Conductor
With Elena Svinkko and Dmitriy Dyachkov, laureates of the International Ballet Competition Varna 2016
Time: 21:00
Venue: Open-air Theater
16 July 2017 Varna Summer Music Lab
Whitgift School Orchestra and Choir, London
Philip Winter and Rosanna Whitfield, Conductors
Soloists –Young musicians, prizewinners of international competitions
Programme:
Choral and instrumental works by British and Bulgarian composers
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
18 July 2017 Varna Summer Music Lab
Christian Roellinger and Alissia Rafaelian
Christian Roellinger, alto saxophone
Alissia Rafaelian, piano
Works by Debussy, Yoshimatsu, Tomasi, Demersseman, and D. Milhaud
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
19 July 2017 Varna Summer Music Lab
Dobri Hristov String Quartet with Atanas Krastev
Schubertiada (String quartet and String quintet)
Atanas Krastev, cello
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
20 July 2017 Varna Summer Music Lab
Orpheus and Eurydice by Gluck
Collaborative project between the Varna Opera and Cyprus Opera Organization Youth
Francis Guy, Cyprus, Conductor
Stage version by Plamen Kartalov, Tsveta Christoforou
Riolina Topalova, Choreographer
Soloists:
Daniela Dimova, soprano
Tsveta Christoforou, mezzo soprano
Lilyana Kondova, soprano
Tsetso Ivanov and Katerina Petrova, ballet
Time: 21:00
Venue: Roman Thermae
22 July 2017 Varna Summer Music Lab
Vesselin Stanev, Piano recital
Programme:
César Franck -Prélude, Choral et Fugue
Claude Debussy -Préludes pour piano Premier Livre
Frédéric Chopin – 24 Préludes op. 28
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
24 July 2017 Varna Summer Music Lab
Rossen Idealov and Georgita Boyadzhieva
20 years on the scene.
Rossen Idealov, clarinet
Georgita Boyadzhieva, cello
With Aleksandar Vassilenko, piano
Works by Georgi Arnaudov, Yordan Dafov, Konstantin Iliev, Paul Hindemith, and Alexander Zemlinsky
Time: 19:00
Venue: City Art Gallery
26 July 2017 Varna Summer Music Lab
Pioneer Youth Philharmonic Orchestra
With the Navy Band Varna
Lyubomir Denev Jr., Conductor
Soloist Andrey Petkov, french horn
P.I.Tchaikovsky, G. Holst, E. Grieg, G. Vinter, A. Raychev, V. Stoyanov, and L. Denev Jr.
Time: 21:00
Venue: Open-air Theater
02 August 2017 Opera and Ballet in the Open-Air Theater
La Fille mal gardée
Ballet by Hertel, Premiere
Varna Opera
Sergey Antonov, Choreography
Milen Apostolov, Conductor
With Saori Koike and Yegor Motuzov, soloists of the Kremlin Ballet, Russia
Time: 19:00
Venue: Varna Opera
09 August 2017 Opera and Ballet in the Open-Air Theater
Manon Lescaut
opera by Puccini, Premiere
Varna Opera
Jan van Maanen, Conductor
Alexander Tekeliev, Director
With Valeria Sepe, Plamen Dimitrov, and Efe Kislali
Time: 21:00
Venue: Open-air Theater
Cross-Over Projects at the Varna Summer International Music Festival 2017
10 August 2017 Crossover Projects
Time After Time
Miroslava Katsarova, vocal
Jazz Trio – Turiyski, Dimitrov, and Eko
Varna Chamber Orchestra
Gancho Ganchev, Conductor
Time: 21:00
Venue: Archeological Museum
11 August 2017 Crossover Projects
Between Classic, Folklore and Jazz
Konstantin Kostov Trio
Konstantin Kostov, piano
Dimitar Karamfilov, bass
Nevyan Lenkov, drums
Programme:
Improvisations on classical and Bulgarian works, including pieces by the artists.
Time: 21:00
Venue: Archeological Museum
12 August 2017 Crossover Projects
Cosmic Voices Choir
Vanya Moneva, Conductor
Time: 21:00
Venue: Archeological Museum
Renaissance and Baroque Art at the Varna Summer International Music Festival 2017
17 September 2017 Renaissance and Baroque Art
The Passion of Early Music
Marquise Ensemble, Hungary
Ensemble Marquise
Time: 19:00
Venue: Aula of the University of Economics
19 September 2017 Renaissance and Baroque Art
Handel in London
Ars consoni Ensemble, Bulgaria
Time: 19:00
Venue: Aula of the University of Economics
21 September 2017 Renaissance and Baroque Art
La Serva Padrona
opera buffa by Pergolesi
Ensemble Le Tendre Amour, Spain
With the support of Roca Bulgaria, part of Roca Group
Le Tendre Amour
Time: 19:00
Venue: Aula of the University of Economics
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