Varna Summer International Music Festival 2026 – 100 years since the beginning
100 years since the beginning – 100 years filled with musical encounters and enlightenment; a century of collaborations between musicians of different generations and nations. А long fruitful journey that features exclusive collaborations and commissioned musical pieces; standing ovations, shared emotions and concerts that have opened the door to the precious world of classical music for the very first time to many. It is a history of beauty, struggle, and the pursuit of perfection.
Hundreds of concerts have graced the stages and venues of the festival over the years – featuring established Bulgarian musicians, but also rising stars whose path to fame began right here in Varna, world-renowned soloists and orchestras, grand symphonic programs and the intimacy of chamber music programs. The repertoire over the years has spanned Bulgarian and world premieres alongside the most beloved masterpieces from all epochs of music. This is the ‘Varna Summer’ International Music Festival!
How do you celebrate such a milestone in style? The festival’s Artistic Director, world-renowned solo violinist and visionary Prof. Mario Hossen along with the festival team at the Municipality of Varna, has curated a program that honors the musical traditions, elevating them with global scale and brilliance.
This landmark 100th-anniversary celebration features eight orchestras from all over Europe. Some of the highlights include the BBC Symphony Orchestra London, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the European Union Youth Orchestra – each of them remarkable in a unique way. Four chamber orchestras (from Vienna, Salzburg, Milan, and the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia) add another important dimension to the festival, along with a baroque ensemble from the heart of the Austrian capital, and two visiting Bulgarian symphony orchestras.
It all begins with the Opening Night, led by Delyana Lazarova, a conductor with a quickly growing international career, among the best and most sought after of her generation who has just recently debuted at the BBC Proms. As far as the soloists are concerned, we have two Tchaikovsky International Competition winners and a violinist with a remarkable international career that spans over four decades. Together with the Varna State Opera Orchestra, three choirs and a narrator, they will present a monumental program featuring works by Pancho Vladigerov, his student Milko Kolarov, and Beethoven’s triple concerto.
For the first time in Bulgaria, we welcome the BBC Symphony Orchestra (London), the orchestra that performs at the opening and closing gala concerts of the world-renowned BBC Proms. The BBC Symphony, a driving force in the European musical landscape, shines with bold programming that seamlessly weaves tradition with modern approaches. They arrive in Varna led by the famous Finn Sakari Oramo, their Chief Conductor since 2013.
As one of Europe’s first radio orchestras, they have premiered works by legendary composers such as Honegger, Milhaud, Prokofiev, Richard Strauss, Schoenberg, and Stravinsky. The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra will present a solid German program in Varna, putting together Beethoven’s violin concerto and Brahms’ Second Symphony. The orchestra’s Chief Conductor is Vladimir Jurowski, a descendant of a great musical dynasty and one of the most brilliant European conductors today.
Described as “the best possible ambassadors of Europe”, the musicians of the European Union Youth Orchestra (16 to 26 years of age) are literally “orchestrating the future”. They will bring youthful drive and energy to the festival. 2026 is a special year for EUYO, as well – in March, Europe celebrated the 50th anniversary since the birth of this unique cultural project (Claudio Abbado beings the orchestra’s founding musical director). Some of the greatest conductors like Karajan and Bernstein have stood at the podium before these young musicians during the years, their present Musical director is Ivan Fischer. EUYO will perform in Varna under the batton of Gustavo Gimeno, who has had Abbado himself as a mentor. Gimeno currently leads both the Luxembourg Philharmonic and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
European values have always been an integral part of the ‘Varna Summer’ International Music Festival. This year, the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU will pass from Cyprus to Ireland, marked by a concert of Sinfonietta Vratza, an orchestra composed of musicians from over 15 nations that has gradually become one of the best in Bulgaria. Conductor Hristo Pavlov has put together a program that intertwines the musical threads of Cyprus, represented by the soprano Chryso Makariou, and the music of Ireland (classical and traditional) with the presence of the famous violinist Patrick Rafter.
Sofia Philharmonic, a traditional partner throughout the festival’s history, will perform a special program on a key date. July 23, 1926 marks the official start of Varna’s festive history with the very first concert from the “Summer Music Celebrations”. It was an entirely Bulgarian program with pieces by Dobri Hristov and Pancho Wladigeroff. Now, on July 23, 2026, the Sofia Philharmonic, conducted by Nayden Todorov, will once again present an all-Bulgarian program. Wladigeroff’s music will be “refreshed” through the creative prism of his heirs, the twins Alexander and Konstantin Wladigeroff, themselves Viennese-educated, as is maestro Nayden Todorov. He chose to conclude this important program with Vesselin Stoyanov’s First Symphony. Vesselin Stoyanov is another composer from the so-called second-generation Bulgarian composers, who managed to close the gap in Bulgarian classical music – they all had studied abroad (Stoyanov in Vienna) and returned to establish Bulgarian composition school.
Vienna will have an elegant presence in Varna through two ensembles that are vital components of this global music capital’s landscape: the Vienna Chamber Orchestra and Concentus Musicus Wien. The latter, founded by the legendary conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt, is a world leader in historically informed performance, dedicated to bringing the beauty of early music to modern audiences with academic precision.
Vienna, alongside Milan, also plays a key role in an intriguing, spiritually-resonant project led by the violinist Mario Hossen and the Paganini Society as part of the European Cultural Routes -Paganini initiative. These two cities, pillars of European musical history, provide the framework for a narrative by the Virtuosi della Scala focused on Paganini and Vivaldi—a musical journey through Seasons and Wonders of virtuosic brilliance.
The Soloists
• Francesco Piemontesi (BBC Symphony Orchestra, London): An exceptional instrumentalist who embodies the “Alchemy of the Piano.” A regular guest of the Dresden Philharmonic and the Menuhin Festival, he is a young musician with a profound mission to allow audiences to participate in the “deep dimensions of music” rather than just providing entertainment.
• Julia Fischer (Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra): winner of “Yehudi Menuhin” International Competition alongside others top prizes, she has been collaborating with conductors like Riccardo Muti, Christian Thielemann, and Ivan Fischer. Notably, she had performed Saint-Saens’ Violin Concerto and Grieg’s Piano Concerto in a single evening. Julia Fischer plays the 1742 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin.
• Julia Hagen (EU Youth Orchestra): Recipient of the “Best Young Cellist” award at the Verbier Festival, alongside the prestigious Beethoven Ring.
• Sophie Dervaux: The principal bassoonist of the Vienna Philharmonic will appear as a soloist of Camerata Salzburg.
• Vivi Vassileva: The young virtuoso percussionist will present a special program in Varna, as part of the International Summer Academy led by prof. Mincho Minchev, heading after to perform at the renowned Schleswig-Holstein Festival.
• Barry Douglas (Opening Night): The Irish pianist, gold medal winner of International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1986.
• Elisabeth Leonskaja, Viktoria Postnikova and Alexander Gindin – all among the greatest names in the piano world for decades, they will perform at the concerts during the Symposium, dedicated to Slavic music.
• Andrei Ionița (Opening Night): A true star among today’s young cellists and winner of the First Prize and Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky International Competition.
• Dmitry Sitkovetsky (Opening Night): A brilliant violinist with a career spanning decades, whose road to fame began with the First Prize at the inaugural “Concertino Praga” International Music Contest of Czech National Radio.
Young musicians are an essential part of the festival. They are represented not only by the EU Youth Orchestra and its vibrant energy and hope, but also by the young soloists from the Barenboim-Said Akademie. Founded by Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said (Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University), the academy cultivates talented musicians from the Middle East, North Africa, and the world, preparing them for both musical excellence and a life of high values. These musicians will perform as soloists with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra. Besides, laureates from prestigious international competitions in Vienna, Paris, Sofia (Cantus Firmus), and Tokyo will be featured on open-air stages and in chamber concert programs throughout the festival.
Commissioned works and premieres are a hallmark of any major festival. At “Varna Summer”, they begin from the very first concert – at the opening gala with the monumental composition by Milko Kolarov. Renowned Belgian pianist and composer Patrick Dheur returns with a new piece dedicated to the anniversary of ‘Varna Summer’: a Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra, where the first movement is for the left hand and orchestra, the second for the right hand and orchestra, and the hands unite in the third. ‘Three‘ is the title of the work by Martin Georgiev, composer and conductor of The Royal Ballet in London, a piece specially created for the festival. Moreover, two quartets by Georgi Arnaudov will be presented in their complete version for the first time —one by the Paganini Ensemble Vienna, and the other – by Jerusalem Quartet, during the chamber concerts of the International Symposium, dedicated to Slavic music.
The Projects
• 270 Mozart – a concert with the genius‘first and last symphonies, interpreted by Camerata Salzburg – an ensemble that embodies the very spirit of the maestro’s birthplace.
• A Historic Restoration: Violinist Slava Atanasova and pianist Konstantsa Dyulgerova “revive” the program from July 30, 1926, originally performed by the brothers Lyuben and Pancho Vladigerov.
• Jazz Elegance: The festival honors the 100th anniversary of iconic jazz pianist Oscar Peterson. A legendary 1968 concert of his trio at the Vienna Konzerthaus will be reimagined by a trio of world-class musicians: classical virtuoso Kristina Miller, renowned Hungarian jazzmen – drummer Gergő Borlai and bassist Tibor Fornai. Together, they bring the spirit of Oscar Peterson to Varna—celebrating a musician and a festival that both began their journeys 100 years ago.
• Baroque Meets Jazz: The project “Wondrous Machine” offers an organic fusion of styles. It features internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Svetlina Stoyanova and the Pylekadone Quintet, known for their constant reinvention. They are joined by three exceptional jazz figures: Konstantin Kostov, a pianist and improviser of European stature; Hristo Yotsov, a legendary drummer and composer in the Bulgarian jazz scene; and Dimitar Karamfilov, one of the most sought-after bassists for diverse musical projects.
Anniversaries
In the year we celebrate 100 years since the beginning of the musical festive life in Varna, the program celebrates several other impressive milestones:
• 50th Anniversary of the official founding of the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO), as mandated by the European Parliament.
• 80th Anniversary of the formation of the Vienna Chamber Orchestra.
• 80th Anniversary of the Symphony Orchestra of State Opera Varna
• 80th Birthday of the composer prof. Milko Kolarov
• 50th Anniversary of the passing of Benjamin Britten
• 100th Anniversary of the birth of the iconic Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson
International Summer Academy
For another consecutive year, the International Summer Academy offers young musicians the exceptional opportunity to participate in masterclasses of Prof. Mincho Minchev, Prof. Ludmil Angelov, Emil Ivanov, Vivi Vassileva and Dimitar Burov.
International Symposium
The International Symposium – a signature element of the festival is dedicated this year to Slavic Music. Prof. Hartmut Krones once again will initiate and moderate the lectures and talks of leading European musicologists. The Symposium is accompanied by three concerts featuring over 20 prominent musicians from across Europe. Through specially selected works, they will illustrate the topics discussed in the scientific sessions in an interesting and moving way for the audience.
