At a special ceremony at the Romanian Embassy in Sofia, Ambassador Brândușa Ioana Predescu presented Bulgarian conductor Nayden Todorov with the Order of Cultural Merit with the rank of Grand Officer.

"We are here to honor today your Maestro whom I consider a national treasure, because he manages to do something not only today, but with his entire activity, which we all need - especially in these days of great challenges for all of us as people," said the diplomat.

"This is a time of challenges to our beliefs, to our values.  I think in this existential crisis we need anchor points.  Music is a fortress.  And this fortress is you, Maestro," added Predescu before presenting one of Romania's highest honors to the Bulgarian conductor, director of the Sofia Philharmonic and former culture minister in three governments.

The prestigious award is a recognition of Todorov's long-term efforts for the cultural rapprochement of the two countries.  He is among the preferred conductors of the National Orchestra of Romania, the Romanian Radio Orchestra, the National Opera of Romania, etc.  As a conductor, he has partnered with many Romanian soloists, including the world-renowned soprano Angela Gheorghiou, whom he will meet again on the stage of the Smetana Hall in Prague on March 23.

Nayden Todorov received the award only a day after the spectacular success of the concert he conducted in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture.  The Sofia Philharmonic, the North Macedonia Philharmonic, the State Symphony Orchestra of Thessaloniki, the National Philharmonic Choir and the Children's Philharmonic Choir together with soloists Ana Durlovski (North Macedonia), Nikolas Spanos (Greece) and Ivo Yordanov (Bulgaria) presented a production of Carmina Burana by Carl Orff.  The packed hall wildly applauded the 240 musicians on stage, led by Maestro Naydenov - the concert's mastermind.

• Carmina Burana brings together orchestras from Bulgaria, Greece and North Macedonia in Sofia