Prof. Tsvetan Nedyalkov, Ph.D.

Head of Department


In the 1960s, specialized schools for entertainment musicians were created within the Estrada Department and the Bulgarian National Radio, but in 1968, the question of formal education for singers and instrumentalists of popular music was finally resolved with the establishment of the Estrada Department of the Bulgarian State Conservatory (Head of Department was Emil Georgiev). Until 1986, this was a two-year degree course. In 1986, the Department was renamed Pop and Jazz Art. It was part of the Vocal Faculty, but students were instructed in two separate branches – vocal and instrumental, in a four-year graduate degree course.

Some of the most prominent musicians have been teaching at the Department, as well singers and instrumentalists with flourishing concert careers, composers and arrangers with significant contributions to Bulgarian music.

Among the alumni of the Department are some of the most distinguished and celebrated musicians in Bulgaria: the singers Vasil Naydenov, Georgi Hristov, Veselin Marinov, Vasil Petrov, Vladimir Ampov – Grafa, Desislava Dobreva, Esil Duran, Boris Soltariyski (Ku-Ku Band), Beloslava, Margarita Hranova, Petar Chernev, Maya Neshkova, Hristo Kidikov, Mihail Yonchev, Tsvetan Tsachev, Yordan Marchinkov, Diana Dafova, Neli Rangelova, Silvia Katsarova, Vanya Kostova, Snezhina Temelkova, the pop duo Riton, Mimi Ivanova, Petya Buyuklieva, Kichka Bodurova, Bogdan Tomov, Kamelia Voce, Panayot Panayotov, Veneta Rangelova, Rositsa Ganeva, Stanislav Slanev – Stanley, Petko Manchev; and the instrumentalists Zahari Georgiev (composer and bass player), Stoyan Yankulov – Stundzhi (percussions), Tsvetan Nedyalkov (guitar), Ivan Stoyanov (bass guitar), Kristiyan Ivanov (piano), Evgeni Yotov (saxophone), Mihail Yosifov (trumpet), Vladimir Karparov (saxophone), Veselin Veselinov – Eko (bass guitar, double bass), Vasil Parmakov (piano), Shibil Benev (guitar), Dimitar Kovachev – Funky (bass guitar), Ventsislav Blagoev (trumpet), Petar Slavov Jr (double bass), Dimitar Dimitrov (percussions), Todor Tsachev (saxophone) and many others.

 

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CURRENT ACADEMIC STAFF

 

Composition

Prof. Maria Ganeva, Sc.D.

 

Orchestrations

Assistant Vasil Deliev, part-time lecturer

 

Improvisations

Chief Assistant Mihail Yosifov,

 

History of Pop and Jazz Music

Assistant Zdravko Petrov, part-time lecturer

 

Pop and Jazz Piano

Prof. Maria Ganeva, Sc.D.

Assistant Atanas Miladinov, part-time lecturer

 

Pop and Jazz Guitar

Prof. Tsvetan Nedyalkov, Ph.D.

Assistant Ognyan Veskov, part-time lecturer

 

Pop and Jazz Bass Guitar

Prof. Ivan Stoyanov, Ph.D.

 

Pop and Jazz Double Bass

Assistant Svoboda Bozduganova, Ph.D., part-time lecturer

 

Pop and Jazz Percussions

Prof. Hristo Yotsov

Assistant Venko Poromanski, Ph.D., part-time lecturer

Assistant Atanas Popov, part-time lecturer

 

Pop and Jazz Saxophone

Assistant Apostol Apostolov, part-time lecturer

 

Pop and Jazz Trumpet

Chief Assistant Mihail Yosifov,

 

Pop and Jazz Trombone

Assistant Velislav Stoyanov, part-time lecturer

 

Big Band

Chief Assistant Mihail Yosifov, part-time lecturer

 

Pop and Jazz Singing

Prof. Stefka Onikyan, Ph.D.

Assoc. Prof. Alice Bovarian

Chief Assistant Vladimir Dimov, Ph.D.

Assistant Iliyan Paraskov, Ph.D., part-time lecturer

Assistant Adriana Benova, part-time lecturer

Assistant Petya Stancheva, part-time lecturer

Assistant Rozmari Dragneva, part-time lecturer

 

Vocal Ensembles

Assistant Tamara Mavrova, part-time lecturer

 

Acting and Stage Speech

Prof. Veselina Raeva, Ph.D.

 

Accompanists

Alexander Bozhikov

Ivan Kantardzhev

Kristian Iliev

Kalin Zhechev

 

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FORMER ACADEMIC STAFF

 

Composition

Prof. Yulia Tsenova (1948 – 2010)

 

Theoretical Courses

Emil Georgiev (1925 – 1992) – Acoustics

Yordan Kolev (1936 – 2017) – Music Theory and Solfeggio

Lilia Nenkova (1938 – 2019) – Music Theory and Solfeggio

Vladimir Hristozov (1953 – 2017) – Music Theory

 

Orchestrations

Assoc. Prof. Tomi Dimchev

Assoc. Prof. Yasen Obretenov (1948 – 2018)

 

Improvisations

Prof. Simeon Shterev (1943 – 2020)

 

History of Pop and Jazz Music

Yordan Rupchev (1951 – 2000)

Prof. Vladimir Radulov

 

Sound Equipment

Hristofor Stoyanov

 

Pop and Jazz Piano

Prof. Yulia Tsenova (1948 – 2010)

Antoni Donchev

Dimitar Buynozov

Gergana Vladova

Mladen Taskov

Venilina Malinova

 

Accordion

Prof. Dobromir Mitev, Ph.D.

Georgi Galabov

 

Pop and Jazz Guitar

Assoc. Prof. Alexander Pumpalov

Lyuben Panayotov

 

Pop and Jazz Bass Guitar

Prof. Simeon Venkov

 

Pop and Jazz Double Bass

Prof. Teodosi Stoykov (1939 – 2011)

Prof. Simeon Venkov

Dimitar Karamfilov, part-time lecturer

 

Pop and Jazz Percussions

Petar Tsankov

Boris Dinev

 

Pop and Jazz Flute

Prof. Simeon Shterev (1943 – 2020)

 

Pop and Jazz Saxophone

Assoc. Prof. Vlayu Vlaev

Svetozar Rusinov

Dimitar Simeonov

 

Pop and Jazz Trumpet

Krasimir Petev

Alexander Gatev

Stoycho Radnev

Georgi Stefanov

 

Pop and Jazz Trombone

Iliya Nenov – Foro

Vladimir Slavchev

 

Big Band

Assoc. Prof. Krasimira Magneva

Assoc. Prof. Tomi Dimchev

Assoc. Prof. Yasen Obretenov (1948 – 2018)

Yonko Tatarov

 

Pop and Jazz Singing

Irina Chmihova (1930 – 2020)

Assoc. Prof. Georgi Kordov (1934 – 2006)

Assoc. Prof. Angel Zaberski

Petar Dimitrov

Stefan Atanasov

Boris Stamenov

Vasil Markov

Angelina Kaneva

Valentin Asenov

 

Vocal Ensembles

Assoc. Prof. Rumyana Marton

Chavdar Mazhdrakov (1942 – 2007)

 

Acting and Stage Speech

Prof. Andrey Avramov

Assoc. Prof. Dinko Chomakov

Kristina Belcheva

 

Accompanists

Tsvetana Vazvazova

Maria Mihailova

Martin Markov

Rosen Parpalanov

Teodor Petkov

 

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HEADS OF THE DEPARTMENT

Emil Georgiev (1925 – 1992)

Assoc. Prof. Georgi Kordov (1934 – 2006)

Assoc. Prof. Tomi Dimchev

Prof. Yulia Tsenova (1948 – 2010)

Prof. Maria Ganeva, Sc.D.

Prof. Tsvetan Nedyalkov, Ph.D.