National Academy of Music Prof. Pantcho Vladigerov

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The National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” is the most authoritative higher education music school in Bulgaria with the oldest, best established, and most efficient professional traditions, which focuses on the potential and achievements of the most significant, renowned artists in this area in the same amount today, as it has done in the past. Its graduates win top prizes in prestigious international competitions and take part in international music initiatives.
The Academy attracted more and more new students and thus responded to the increased need for professional musicians in our country at the beginning of the 20th century. The lecturers who connected their names with the traditions and fate of the State Academy of Music are pillars in our cultural history such as Dobri Hristov, Ivan Vulpe, Stoyan Brashovanov, Stoyan Dzhudzhev, Pancho Vladigerov, Hristina Morfova, Dimitar Nenov, Andrey and Veselin Stoyanov, Lyubomir Pipkov, Marin Goleminov, Hristo Brambarov, Vladimir Avramov, and many others. In 1928 an Academic Symphony Orchestra was established within the Academy, and it was conducted by the violinist Sasha Popov, at that time a lecturer at the Academy. The orchestra was based on the student symphony orchestra with the State Academy of Music and supplemented with the most renowned Bulgarian instrumentalists who were also lecturers at the Academy. The orchestra, which consisted of 65 members (30 lecturers), was maintained by a small governmental grant and the concerts it gave. It was conducted by the violinist Sasha Popov who taught at the Academy at that time. By 1935 the Academic Symphony Orchestra had given more than 100 public concerts with a varied program of works by European and Russian composers and worked by young Bulgarian composers and left lasting traces in the history of symphony music our country. Several Bulgarian and foreign conductors and soloists gave guest performances in the orchestra.
In 1934 the Academic Symphony Orchestra Magazine was launched as the organ of the Academic Symphony Orchestra, which published articles and papers in the area of musical science. A lively discussion on the Bulgarian national style problems in Bulgarian music works was held on the pages of the magazine. When the Royal Military Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sasha Popov, with an entirely professional cast of performers (80 members), was founded in 1936. It was based on the Academic Symphony Orchestra and the Guards’ Brass Band. In 1944 it was renamed to Sofia State Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1954, by Decree No. 328 of 6th November of the Presidium of the National Assembly, the State Academy of Music was restructured into three faculties: the Theory, Composition and Conducting Instrumental Faculty, and the Vocal Faculty. Later it was renamed to Bulgarian State Conservatory. In 1955 a full-time choir and a full-time symphony orchestra were established because they were necessary for choir and orchestra conducting. An Opera Studio (based on the former Opera School) and a Teaching Opera Theatre were established within the Vocal Faculty. Postgraduate master classes in the Instrumental and Vocal Faculties provided the continuing education of Academy graduates.
The Academy houses the richest specialized music library in Bulgaria with a collection of records. The library is a member of the International Association of Music Libraries. An audio-visual center has been established; the Academy boasts an academic symphony orchestra, student symphony orchestras, a teaching opera theatre, a teaching choir. Concert halls and an organ are also available. The Academy offers over 30 majors whose syllabuses, based on the tested and proven traditions of Bulgarian musicology and the Bulgarian vocal, instrumental, and ballet teaching traditions, are updated regularly to match the most contemporary education standards the art of music, research, and teaching. The students can take part in productions, concerts, music performances, research meetings, seminars, conferences, and courses of lectures. In addition to the regular education, masterclasses and lectures by renowned Bulgarian and foreign musicians and musicologists are organized.
The National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” has signed agreements with foreign higher-education music institutions and expands its range of contacts and cooperations. It is a member of the Association of Higher Education Institutions of Arts (AES) based in Brussels and is also included in the Erasmus Programme. Today, the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” is a leading music education center and a significant cultural center whose versatile creative initiatives gain more and more public prestige and recognition.

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