A concert of the Sofia Philharmonic tonight opens the competition Young Virtuosos. Soloists are prize-winners from other editions of the contest who have received the distinction of the renowned orchestra - violinist Elli Choi and pianist Asen Tanchev. Elli Choi was awarded with the Discovery of the Competition Grand Prix back in 2015.

The competition proper opens on 1 April and auditions are scheduled to be held at Bulgaria Chamber Hall and the concert hall of the Lubomir Pipkov National School of Music.

“I am happy to see such keen interest in the competition”, says Mrs Milka Miteva, founder and artistic director of the festival.

“This year we have candidates from 35 countries and from all continents. They compete in violin, viola, flute and clarinet. The competition has already become known in the Americas, Japan and South Korea, as well as across Europe. Young people who have prepared with love and responsibility their programs have arrived with their pedagogues from Italy, Serbia, Germany, Macedonia and elsewhere. They are the people who are going to write the history of music in the future. Young Virtuosos is the only Bulgarian music competition that is member of EMCY (the European Union of Music Competitions for Youth).The regulations that we have adopted have been approved by the European association of music competitions. Acclaimed Bulgarian and foreign musicians sit on the competition's juries including Dora Schwarzberg, Svetlin Roussev, Zakhar Bron, Borislav Yotzov, Anatoli Krastev, Stefan Popov and others. They have the reputation of both leading instrumentalists and pedagogues. The jury will give a concert on 5 April and the gala of prize-winners is due on 8 April. I hope that the residents of Sofia and the city's guests too will enjoy these high-profile music events.”

Part of the prestige of any international music competition is the successful professional development of its prize-winners, Mrs Miteva contends.

“We follow with interest the careers of the participants in the competition. For instance, violinist Mone Hattori has already launched a career on a global scale and has won a few distinctions. And her CV opens with that her first international prize was from the Young Virtuosos. Elli Choi too has been very successful since 2015 when she performed brilliantly. Now she arrived from USA especially for the opening concert. We are happy to enjoy the achievements of these young people, and we are grateful to the permanent support of the America for Bulgaria Foundation, our general sponsor. The patron of the competition is Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova. By tradition we are also supported by the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Foundation and Bulgarian Memory, by large companies and private donors. Our partners are reputable national media and for a third year in a row we plan real time transmissions of the competition on our website.”

English Daniela Konstantinova

Audio features the following pieces:

1. Waltz, opus 42 in A Flat Major by Chopin in the rendition of Asen Tanchev (piano)

2. The Last Rose of Summer by Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst in the rendition of Elli Choi (violin)

3. Variations on a Theme by Rossini by Bohuslav Martinu performed by David Nicolas Poskin (cello) and Rumen Tzanov (piano)