Bansko Jazz Academy Concludes with Concert in City Park

Risida Dimitrova, BTA correspondent Desislava Velkova

Bansko Jazz Academy closing concert in the city park, Bansko, August 9, 2026 (BTA Photo/Desislava Velkova)

Bansko, Southwestern Bulgaria,

09.08.2026 19:22

(BTA)

This year’s Bansko Jazz Academy came to a close on Sunday with a concert in the city park, as part of the programme of the Bansko Jazz Festival.

Over the course of ten days, the academy’s mentors Vili Stoyanov, Mihail Yossifov, Milen Kukosharov, Atanas Popov, Daniele Febbo, Ivan Yordanov and Pavleta Semova, worked with a new generation of young musicians, the organizers said. The concert marked the culmination of their work with the participants in Bansko, with several of the young talents also receiving awards at the academy’s closing event.

As part of the awards, musician Nikolay Danev received a series of one-to-one lessons with Milen Kukosharov, while Samuil Andonov and Alex Federici were invited to take part in the 2027 edition of the Bansko Jazz Academy. Angelina Saparevska was presented with an award that includes participation in the SoAlive Music Conference 2026.

For the first time this year, an award was also presented by First Investment Bank (Fibank), a sponsor of the festival’s main stage. Vladimir Arsenov from Fibank’s marketing department presented a commemorative coin to young performer Yavor Angelov.

The grand prize of the Bansko Jazz Academy, an opportunity to perform on the festival’s main stage during its 30th-anniversary edition next year, was presented by festival director Iliana Shtereva-Ivanova to the academy’s mentors.

Before announcing this year’s winner, Shtereva-Ivanova told the audience in the city park that while there are many talented musicians, the academy’s mentors stand out for their passion, talent and willingness to share everything they know and can do.

Addressing the young musicians, Shtereva-Ivanova said they were "a tremendous source of satisfaction for everyone". "You are our future on the big stages, not only here in Bansko," she said, encouraging them to believe in themselves and in one another.

Speaking to the musicians and the audience, Bansko Mayor Stoycho Banenski said there was growing recognition that the standard of performances on the festival’s young talents stage is every bit as high as that of the main stage. This is not only thanks to the talent of the young musicians, he said, but also to their professionalism and boundless energy.

It is this energy, both on the academy stage and at the festival’s various jazz venues across the mountain town, that is helping to establish Bansko as a true festival destination, Banenski added.

The Bansko Jazz Academy was originally launched as an initiative of the Festivals in Bulgaria Association and has in recent years been developed by the Brazz Association, with financial support from the Culture Ministry and logistical support from the Municipality of Bansko, the organizers said.

The Bansko Jazz Festival is organized by Festivals in Bulgaria Association and Bansko Municipality. BTA is a media partner of the event.

/RD/