site.bta51st Winter Musical Evenings – Prof. Ivan Spasov International Festival Opens in Pazardzhik

The 51st edition of the Winter Musical Evenings – Prof. Ivan Spasov International Festival was unveiled in Pazardzhik on Thursday. By tradition, the festival began with a performance of the rhapsody Vardar by Pancho Vladigerov.

The opening concert featured the Pazardzhik Symphony Orchestra and the Bulgarian National Radio Mixed Choir, with soloists soprano Stefania Krasteva, soprano Tsvetomila Yancheva, and tenor Emil Pavlov. In the second part of the programme, the choir and soloists performed Symphony No. 2, Lobgesang (“Hymn of Praise”) by Felix Mendelssohn.

Commenting on the event, conductor Grigor Palikarov said that he hoped the festival would continue over time, bringing the same joy and messages and educating the generations to come. He described the festive programme as beautiful music with a message and voiced hope the audience had experienced it together with the performers. Palikarov added that the organizers were striving to maintain the festival’s high standard, noting that the main challenges were not artistic but related to funding, which they were nevertheless managing to overcome.

The festival’s 2026 programme includes concerts featuring prominent soloists, choral and symphonic ensembles, chamber groups, as well as young performers presenting new artistic interpretations and original projects. Admission is free, as part of the organizers’ effort to ensure broad access to high-quality musical art, the Pazardzhik Municipality said.

Ivan Spasov is among the most significant Bulgarian artists of the 20th century, an honorary citizen of Pazardzhik, founder and long-time director of the Symphony Orchestra, and creator of the city’s largest cultural event – the Winter Musical Evenings International Festival.