We lost Toncho Rusev – one of the foremost Bulgarian pop music composers. As his family announced he died yesterday, 10 April, after a short illness.

Toncho Rusev is the author of thousands of songs, dozens of them genuine hits. For decades he was one of the most prolific, most sought after composers, whose songs were sung most frequently.

He was born on 20 April, 1932 in Bourgas on the Black Sea. His parents worked for Bulgarian railways but his home was filled with music. He himself played the trumpet since his school years. After graduating secondary school, Toncho Rusev started as a mechanic at the railway carriage factory in his home town, where he founded a 60-member workers’ brass band. But parallel with his work at the factory Toncho Rusev continued with his trumpet lessons and continued to develop his music skills. He had made up his mind to study chemistry, but musicians from Bourgas persuaded him to apply at the Music Academy and he graduated in the class of Prof. Petar Karparov. For some time afterwards he worked with symphony orchestras. What decided his musical career was his meeting with Maurice Aladjem – at the time a celebrated saxophone player, composer and music arranger who invited him in his pop music orchestra.

English version: Milena Daynova