About the festival
The International Chamber Music Festival Plovdiv is the eldest chamber music festival in Europe and the longest-standing festival music forum with elite international and Bulgarian participation. It has been held continuously since its foundation in 1964, except for the pandemic year 2020. In 2023, between May 26 and June 16, was the 58th edition of the Festival. In November 2023, Art Academy "Prof. Asen Diamandiev" implemented a special 59—festival edition. Thus making up for the year 2020 missed due to the COVID pandemic. We welcomed 2024 with two anniversaries - 60 years of the Festival and 60 years of the Academy. The edition in 2025 is in the period 17 May - 13 June.
Created by the notable Bulgarian musicians: Maestro Angel Hristov, Prof. Vladimir Avramov, Prof. Alexander Neinski, Dobrin Petkov and Marko Mesholam, this emblematic and vibrant annual professional forum happens thanks to the support of various partners such as the Ministry of Culture, the Municipality of Plovdiv, the Bulgarian Concert Directorate... With each edition, the event reestablishes as a significant cultural event both for the city of Plovdiv and Bulgaria and Europe as well as for various audiences and specialists.
Part of the history of the festival are the names of the world-famous Sviatoslav Richter, Alexis Weissenberg, Magda Amara, Ifra Nieman, Ilya Konovalov, Tibor Kovacs, Daniil Shafran, of notable ensembles such as "Paris Chamber Orchestra", "English Symphonies", "Schidloff Quartet", and, of course, last but not least, the prominent Bulgarian instrumentalists and chamber ensembles with international recognition such as Stoika Milanova, Emil Kamilarov, Dina Schneiderman, Yuri Bukov, Milcho Leviev, Stefan Popov, Anatoli Krastev, Lyudmil Angelov, Teodosii Spasov, Mincho Minchev, Micho Dimitrov, Kevork Mardirosyan, Yevgeny Shevkenov, Svetlin Rusev, Plamena Mangova, Georgi Cherkin, Ivan Yanakov, Chamber Ensemble "Sofia Soloists", Chamber Ensemble "Yoan Kukuzel", "Sofia Quartet", String Quartet "Dimov", Quartet " Eolina", choir chapel "Polyphony", violin duo Angel Stankov - Yosif Radionov, trio "Vladigerovi" and many others.
From 2022, the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts "Prof. Asen Diamandiev" - Plovdiv, which was also the organizer of the 57th edition of the festival in the same year, is the owner of the patent mark International Chamber Music Festival Plovdiv.
The programme of the festival is precisely selected by the artistic director of the initiative, Prof. Eugeniy Chevkenov, who places in the centre the modern trends in the European concert calendar and the constant aspiration to expand international partnerships.
The festival's main goal is to ensure the continuation of the long-standing tradition of presenting chamber music at the highest level and maintaining the ambition for decentralization and rich cultural content outside the capitals. Plovdiv has the traditions, and together with the successful execution of the European capital of culture title in 2019 and through the hosting provided and secured by the Art Academy of Plovdiv as the main organizer of the festival, the Festival acquired a wide spectrum of visibility and distribution.
A very important academic enrichment of the event is the module for international master classes, which take place as part of the festival programme and is an innovation added when the Academy took over the organisation of the event. This trend aims to build an expanded field of influence and broaden the audience development and the sustainability of the festival.
In the programme of the special 2024 editions, musicians from Bulgaria, Austria, Serbia, Germany, Uzbesistan, France, Czech Republic took place. An extremely valuable focus of the festival is also the presentation of the young generation of talented Bulgarian musicians, whose performances are included in the festival programme.
Traditionally the Festival takes place thanks to the cooperation with the Municipality of Plovdiv, Municipal Institute "Ancient Plovdiv", NUMTI "Dobrin Petkov", the Academy of Music in Gdańsk, Poland, and the Conservatory "Richard Wagner" - Vienna.
For 2022 - 2023 and 2024 - 2025, the event received the prestigious label for European festival quality EFFE Label.
Core team:
Prof. Eugeniy Chevkenov, PhD
Artistic director
In the first year of its seventh decade, the Festival continues the tradition of elite Bulgarian and international participation, enriching the palette of its playbill with rarely represented instruments like pipe-organ and marimba, focusing on the evolutionary growth of the chamber ensemble "Academy of Music Plovdiv" into a chamber orchestra and the significant expansion of the master classes.
With confidence and hope for a successful 61st edition - good luck!
Ass. Prof. Jean Pehlivanov, PhD
Rector of the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts 'Prof. Asen Diamandiev' - Plovdiv
The chronicle of the International Chamber Music Festival Plovdiv is particularly special, for it traces an inexhaustible energy, sublime artistry, and exceptional inspiration! And so it has been for 61 years! The event stands as one of our city's creative emblems, a jewel on Europe's cultural map, and for the Academy of Music, Dance, and Fine Arts 'Prof. Asen Diamandiev', it is an exceptional honour to be this prestigious forum's organiser, custodian, and innovator.
With reverence for the past and hope for what is yet to come, I welcome all participants and wish the audience moments of pure musical enchantment at the 61. International Chamber Music Festival Plovdiv 2025.
Operational team:
Georgi Malashinov - general manager
Konstantin Mechev - financial & administrative manager
Assoc. Prof. Aleksandar Gyoshev, PhD - Graphic Design
Coordinators and accounting - Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts 'Prof Asen Diamandiev' - Plovdiv