Sofia/Vratza Spring Workshop for Conductors
March 15 - 25, 2005
Vratza and Sofia, Bulgaria with the Vratza State Philharmonic Orchestra
Faculty :  Emil Simon (Romania) Valeri Vatchev (Bulgaria) 

The Sofia/Vratza Spring Workshop will focus on preparation of works for performance in concert. There will be daily reviews and previews with daily orchestral  rehearsals. Only 10 participants will be accepted to this workshop. All participants will perform in the final concert (subject to faculty approval) and will receive a professional quality video of their performance. Rehearsals will take place in Vratza. The final concert will take place in Sofia.

The Vratza State Philharmonic

Vratza Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1909 as City Symphony of Vratza. In 1953 - 1973 the orchestra founded the Vratza City Opera and produced 22 opera projects. Because of its popularity in 1973 the orchestra was named State Philharmonic of Vratza. Since then the Vratza Philharmonic has been supported by the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture. Every year the orchestra gives 65 - 70 concerts in Bulgaria and abroad (Austria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Romania and Slovak Republic). The last three years Vratza Philharmonic recorded various CD productions under the direction of Manfred Kumle (Germany), Nayden Todorov and Valeri Vatchev. The orchestra  also produces the International Youth Forum, Vratza.

Faculty 

Emil Simon

Born in 1936, Emil Simon began to study the piano when only 6 years old. After gathering more musical knowledge in the High School of Music, he continued his studies at the Gheorghe Dima Music Academy in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, class of conducting and composition, having been granted the George Enescu  State Scholarship due to his outstanding results. After graduating successfully in 1960 from the Music Academy, where he evolved under the guidance of renowned Romanian master, Sigismund Toduta and Antonin Ciolan, Emil Simon was immediately  appointed as a permanent conductor with the Transilvania  State Philharmonic in Cluj-Napoca, at present being retired. In February 1964, he was sent to Paris for postgraduate courses at Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique  studying with Nadia Boulanger, Manuel Rosenthal, and Olivier Messiaen. He also had the opportunity to polish his conducting  art with the well-known conductor Sergiu Celibidache, in Stokholm and Prague. His international debut came in September 1964, winning the First Prize among the 40 competitors of the 14th International Contest for Young Conductors at Besançon, France.

As a conductor, he has so far been a guest of almost all the Philharmonic Orchestras of Romania, and of many important  Symphony Orchestras in Europe, - München Philharmonic, Sankt Petersburg Philharmonic, Brno Philharmonic, Praga F.O.K. Orchestra, Polish RTV Orchestra, Berlin RTV Orchestra -  and North America, by invitation.

Emil Simon masters a vast repertoire belonging to Romanian and foreign composers of all periods and styles, including over 3,000 titles, conducted within more than 1,500 concerts, constantly promoting the contemporary creations of which many were recorded in Romania for the use of the Radio and Television.

As a composer, Emil Simon has to his credit a highly appreciated Symphony, a Sonata for orchestra, two Cantatas, as well as numerous instrumental chamber music pieces and vocal works. At present, he holds the position of full professor for advanced studies in orchestra and chamber music at the G. Dima Music Academy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

PRESS COMMENTS

Emil Simon is a conductor of great skill who know how and what to ask from an excellent  orchestra
Lotti Morel - Geneva

 ...a first rank conductor... 
Irving Lowens - the USA

   ...and excellent artist... 
Robert Mann - the USA

Mr. Simon has an obvious affinity for such music (Enescu) and it was marvelous to listen to what he did. He did manage to bring out the lurking poetry in the work... It was an impressive performance.
The Calgary Herald - Canada

Valeri Vatchev

An expert conductor and producer of international reputation, his professional experience includes major tours in Germany, Austria, USA, Italy, Greece, Czech Republic, Romania, USSR, South Korea, Hungary, and Spain. He is presently a consultant for Symphonic Workshops and is the Music Director for the International Opera Workshop for singers and conductors. He is the principal conductor of  Philharmonia Bulgarica, Sofia and The Amadeus Symphony Orchestra, Sofia. In 1999 he conducted Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra and Stefanos Korkolis in the gala concert for the Special Olympics in Athens at the Megaron Concert Hall. Since 1993 he has been the principal conductor and Music Director of the State Philharmonic Orchestra in Vratza , Bulgaria. He has been the Conductor of the State Philharmonic Orchestra, Varna, Bulgaria; the Principal Conductor and Music Director of  the Kardjali SO and Conductor of the State Opera, Stara Zagora .

A graduate of Dobry Christov Music School, Varna, Bulgaria, Vatchev was awarded a silver medal in violin and a gold in conducting. He completed his MM in orchestra and choir conducting at the National Music Academy, Sofia Bulgaria in 1988 and continued his studies with a fellowship under Professor Karl Oesterreicher in Vienna.

He has received many awards for conducting and sits on the jury of several international festivals and competitions. Vatchev’s CD, TV and Radio recordings include BMG - Greece, BMG - Ariola – Muenchen; Minerva – London; Fontec – Japan; Arcobaleno – Belgium; Stageone – Korea; Wildflower recordings – USA,  private labels; Mitteldeutsche Rundfunk, Germany; National Radio Bulgaria; Radio Varna, Bulgaria Kabel TV; Radio Craiova; KBS – Korea.

REPERTORY (subject to change) 

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 compulsory for all participants

Participants should prepare two of the following works:
Haydn:  Symphony No. 88 in G major
Mozart: Magic Flute, Overture
Mozart: Symphony in C major, No. 41 “Jupiter” (Berenreiter ed)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 and 8 (Breitkopf ed.)
Beethoven:  Symphony No. 7, in A major
Schubert:  Symphony No. 8 in H minor “Unfinished”
Schumann:  Symphony No. 1
Brahms:  Academic Overture
Brahms:  Variations for Orchestra on a Haydn Theme
Bizet:  Symphony in C major
Mussorgsky-Ravel:  Pictures at an Exhibition
Prokofiev:  Romeo and Juliet, selections from Suite No. 1 and 2  

Schedule (subject to change)

Symphonic Workshops (home)
28 St. John's Place, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6P 2Y6 
info@symphonicworkshops.com   Tel: +1 416 604-7514 Mobile: +1 647 294-3807

Refund Policy