On September 28, Marin Goleminov's birthday, in his hometown of Kyustendil, an award is traditionally presented in his name. It is awarded by an authoritative jury, which includes famed musicians, public figures and municipal officials. This year’s winner of the Acad. Marin Goleminov National Award is Georgi Dimitrov - a conductor with a remarkable creative biography and half a century of experience in the field of symphonic, operatic and cantata-oratorio music. ‎

"This is a very high distinction”, Mr. Dimitrov told Radio Bulgaria. ‎‎”I am infinitely grateful to the people who nominated me and who are among the most famous musicians of Bulgaria - Georgi Minchev, Plamen Dzhurov, Pavel Gerdzhikov, Boyanka Arnaudova and others. For me, this is a recognition for my work as a conductor with all Bulgarian orchestras and as a guest conductor in a number of countries around the world. I remember Marin Goleminov as a wonderful person, an outstanding scholar and musician. We met years ago in Ruse, when we were preparing his wonderful opera "Zahary the Iconographer" with director Plamen Kartalov. Then he came to town, we worked on the production, we talked. Such persons are now very rare."

Georgi Dimitrov was not able to attend the award ceremony, as it coincided with the master class for conductors he led in Sofia, but he sent a video message to the jury and the municipality of Kyustendil for the prestigious award.

Pianist Vesкo Stambolov, winner of the 2020 prize, gave a concert, we learned from our colleague from the Bulgarian National Radio, music journalist Lilly Goleminova, granddaughter of Marin Goleminov, member of the jury.

She also shared that the performer invested the funds received as part of the award two years ago to release a CD with piano works by Bulgarian authors, among which are Five Impressions for Piano by Marin Goleminov. The CD was released in Spain, where Vesko Stambolov has been living and working for years, and already has received very good reviews from professional critics. ‎

English version Rositsa Petkova

Photos: personal library