On Sunday, 26 February, the world-famous Bulgarian clarinetist Ivo Papazov - Ibriyama, together with his Wedding Orchestra "Trakia", will perform for the first time on a club stage in Sofia to celebrate his 70th anniversary with an exclusive concert at SOFIA LIVE CLUB.

Born in 1952 in the town of Kardzhali, a descendant of a family of drummers and clarinetists, Ivo Papazov was still a child when he began playing with his father at weddings in the Thrace region. Thus, on the fly, he developed his own distinctive style. For more than 50 years, this exceptional musician has never left the stage, combining folklore and tradition in his music, achieving extraordinary mastery and playing most of the world's music halls, which ranks him among the outstanding artists of our time.

In the year of his 70th anniversary, clarinet and wedding music virtuoso Ivo Papazov-Ibriyama received the Special Award for Artistry at the WOMEX 2022 International World and Electronic Music Festival. The prize has been awarded since 1999 for outstanding achievements in world music, music excellence, social significance, impact and overall contribution.

Ivo Papazov has had a brilliant musical career and has released numerous albums, two of which, in 1989 and 1991, were produced by Joe Boyd himself (producer of Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix and REM). In 2005, Ibriyama won the BBC World Music Award for his contribution to world music with his album Fairground.

His orchestra "Trakia" is made up of incredible musicians, representatives of different ethnic groups from different parts of Bulgaria, who for decades have been contributing their talent and energy to building the unique style that became world famous with the name "wedding music" - a mix of Bulgarian and Balkan traditional music with elements of jazz, funk and rock.