site.btaPM Presents St. Paisii Hilendarski State Award to Prof. Hristo Yotsov

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov presented the St. Paisii Hilendarski State Award to Prof. Hristo Yotsov on Friday for his outstanding contribution to Bulgarian culture, the government said in a press release. The award is presented annually to artists whose work awakens the spirit, preserves traditions, and develops Bulgaria’s cultural identity.

“This award bears the name of the greatest enlightener of the Bulgarian people, Paisii, who through his words stirred national dignity and inspired many others. But it is not only words that shape human consciousness, life and emotion. Music is an equally powerful force that releases goodness, meaning and emotion in a person. And you are a living embodiment of this – an enlightener who inspires young people and teaches them to move audiences with the beauty of music,” the Prime Minister told Yotsov.

Zhelyazkov also emphasized Yotsov’s key role in the development of contemporary music education and wished him continued creative success.

“Certainly, I can say that neither I nor any of the honest and worthy Bulgarians who have received this prize ever sought it. We simply devoted ourselves wholeheartedly to our work, sharing our achievements with our students and with society,” Yotsov said.