Since 2000, he has been the chief conductor of the orchestra at the National Folklore Ensemble "Philip Koutev", and a year later he was elected director of the Ensemble. He taught at the American University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has participated as an author and orchestrator for world-famous computer games - "Crysis 2", "Crysis 3", "Two Worlds", "Rise", where he works in a team with the famous Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer. He has created symphonic, cantata-oratorio, chamber instrumental and vocal pieces, music for dance performances, works for folk choir and orchestra, hundreds of arrangements in various genres. 

We met with Georgi Andreev on the eve of the great Christian holiday of Saint George the Victorious and to the first question - why is he called Georgi, the answer is more than expected according to our family traditions: ‎‎"Because I am named after my grandfather Georgi on the paternal line." About his ancestors he says:

His first memories of St. George's Day are of good weather - in his childhood the weather on St. George's Day was always sunny. He jokingly admits that he is not a fan of lamb and does not feel a particular need to celebrate the holiday with roasted lamb, according to custom. He did not witness any folklore rituals for St. George's Day, and he has no specific musical memories of the holiday. "When I was little, Bulgarian folk music was most often heard at home, so my childhood is mostly associated with the songs of my grandmother, who sang continuously. She sang around the clock - for any occasion and without any occasion, doing any chore."

At the beginning of May last year, together with the Vratsa Philharmonic and conductor Hristo Pavlov, they presented concerts from their joint project "St. George's Day":

‎"There have been many concerts - over ten, maybe 15. This was the idea of ​​Hristo Pavlov, with whom we are very good friends - professional and personal. He is a wonderful musician and I can say that the Vratsa Philharmonic is my favorite orchestra at the moment! This orchestra has reached an exceptionally high level, an incredibly great rise in the last maybe ten years - precisely under the leadership of Hristo Pavlov. ." ‎

The idea to combine folklore soloists and instruments with a symphony orchestra is entirely his: "The first attempt was back in 1994, if I am not mistaken. Folk instruments and classical ones - this symbiosis and the experiment of combining them, I started doing them while still a student. I am practically the first who started doing this blend. I can't say if I am the most successful but I am definitely the first and I made a path towards this new line of sound".

In addition to Nigel Kennedy, Georgi has been traveling the world for decades with various creative projects. A month ago, the Philip Koutev National Theatre presented the famous performance "Wild Strawberries" in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture. I ask how the idea of ​​a project that would include not only Bulgarian music, but also music from all ethnic groups that live on Bulgarian territory came about: Mohammedans, Karakachans, Vlachs, Gagauz, Jews, Armenians... A huge wealth of folklore traditions, combined into one.

"This idea arose in 2003 together with my friend and colleague - choreographer Ivaylo Ivanov. We decided to make a performance that draws attention and emphasizes precisely those, until that moment, neglected folklores that exist here. Extremely interesting, original and deserving to be brought to light. And especially by the ensembles. I think that as the first, largest and generally leading ensemble in the country, the National Folklore Ensemble "Philip Koutev" was right to take such a risky step, because it was a risky step. As we know, this genre is characterized by a special conservatism and not everyone was "charmed"... But for the most part it was received warmly and very positively by the more forward-thinking people in this field. Of course, we are performing it with great success, even this year we will have a national tour." 

The ensemble also supports many other projects: "Sources", "Folklore Classics", "Ela se vie, previva"... There is no brand new project  yet, but each one requires long and serious preparation. Georgi Andreev is so busy that he cannot even list his commitments in the coming months by heart: a huge number of concerts with different ensembles. I recall an interview with him from 2013, when, when asked if he would send his two daughters abroad, he answered: "Definitely yes!" and explained that the cultural climate in Bulgaria is increasingly moving towards the establishment of an "ice age". What would he say today? Both of his daughters are here! ‎

‎"That's how I thought then. Things are not exactly the same now, many things have changed. My children are here, in Bulgaria. I can't kick them out... Since they are happy and have found fulfillment here, there is nothing better than that. And in general, the cultural climate in Bulgaria has always been on the verge of survival. With the exception of the propaganda period of developed socialism, if I may call it that, when everything was painted red, with posters and with an ideological color, with an absolutely pompous and propagandistic character. But in this case, what I would like is a little more of a healthy dose of national pride, which will actually lead to an upsurge - and a cultural one. In other words, to put it even more directly - to reduce the paganism a little. I am putting it very mildly."‎

‎ 

I remember with nostalgia his wonderful production "Two Worlds", created together with Neshka Robeva a quarter of a century ago. There were two main characters – the Dragon and Yana, and the Dragon was extremely sympathetic and spiritually elevated... From another point of view - everyone who bears the name Georgi certainly has their own Dragon, with whom they fight battles (sometimes fiercely) and whom they must defeat. Which is Georgi Andreev's Dragon, how does he fight it and does he manage to defeat it?

"Every day I fight with my Dragon, which takes on a variety of forms and incarnations, because it is inside me. Every person has his or her own dragon, with whom they fight daily - sometimes they win, sometimes they don't... let's hope more and more often".