On 29 October at Bulgaria Hall in Sofia the Sofia Philharmonic is giving a concert with an exclusively Bulgarian program. Guest-conductor is Guerguan Tsenov who has been living in USA for almost two decades now.

Guerguan Tsenov was born in Montana, Northwestern Bulgaria, but grew up in Pazardzhik, Southern Bulgaria:

„I stared my music training at the school of arts in Pazardzhik, then enrolled in the National School of Music and Dance Art in Plovdiv and later in the National Academy of Music in Sofia with two majors – piano with Prof. Zheni Zaharieva, and orchestral conducting with Prof. Vassil Kazandjiev. In 1999, I was admitted to read conducting at the acclaimed Juilliard School. Since then I have focused on conducting and have been trying to keep on playing the piano as well. My creative priority is Tsenov Chamber Ensemble which I founded in New York. Its key function is promoting works by Bulgarian composers. This year we were invited for the first time to join the New York Piano Festival. In cooperation with the festival we played Concerto for String Orchestra by Lazar Nikolov, a work I love very much. I must say that American audiences show keen interest in contemporary Bulgarian music.”

To Guerguan Tsenov the concert on 29 October is special – it is related to memorable personal and professional experiences. Also, he is conducting the Sofia Philharmonic for the first time.

“Luckily, the Music Director of the Sofia Philharmonic Nayden Todorov gave me full creative freedom in the choice of program – with the single condition that it should comprise Bulgarian works exclusively. We are going to play Illuminations by Vassil Kazandjiev. Of the three composers that I have selected I know his works best. I studied composition with the other composer, Ivan Spassov, back in 1990s. We are going to play his Canti dei Morti (Songs of the Dead), one of my favorite Bulgarian works of music. I am happy that the soloist is a wonderful singer, Tsvetana Bandalovska. Probably the most challenging and philosophical work in the program is Symphony No. 6 by Konstantin Iliev. I was surprised to find out that very little has been written about Bulgarian composers. In the meantime the representatives of the so-called Avant-garde in Bulgaria are very much respected by music lovers in various countries.”

In New York, Guerguan Tsenov is also teaching piano at three music schools. He says that the US education system is quite different from the Bulgarian one - many pupils and students are involved in art without making plans to pursue this scope of activity professionally.

“I am skeptical about any pedagogical system that "spews" talents. Actually, I try to give my students what my teachers have given me. Some time ago I had correspondence with Andrei Andreev, one of my teachers from Plovdiv. Then I told him that I was about to carry out a premiere of Symphony No. 6 by Vassil Kazandjiev, he was very happy and said: "By the way, why don’t you perform also Symphony No. 6 by Konstantin Iliev?" And now there is an opportunity to do so. I hope that with this performance I will be able to express my gratitude not only to Mr. Andreev, but to all my dear teachers."

English Daniela Konstantinova