The concerts of the “Methodology of Music Teaching” degree programme graduates have been established as a series/sequence of significant music events – part of the cultural bill of the City of Kings. This year they set evident new long-term tendencies in the creative activities of the Department of Music.
It is becoming regular practice to organise some of the concerts in cities where the students have made their first steps in music or have already had professional. Viliyan Radev’s musical-dance performance (19 May) was staged in Novi Pazar where he has already achieved great success teaching the kaval. The forthcoming concert (7 June) by Dayana Damyanova and Maya Nyagolova, and her piano students, is expected to gather music lovers in Knezha. Such events significantly promote our music degree course.
Graduate concerts are often an occasion for a creative meet between pedagogues of various music-education institutions. Some of the attendees at Teodora Todorova’s concert (15 May, Exhibition Halls) were accordion teachers at the Panayot Pipkov National School of Arts in Pleven and Assoc. Prof. Dr Dobromir Mitev from Prof. Pancho Vladigerov National Academy of Music – Sofia. This tendency has created an environment of creative cooperation between the graduates who are joined in their endeavours by other alumni and the educators themselves. Deyan Tsonev and Chief Assist. Prof. Vasya Mandikova joined Teodora Todorova on the stage. Teodora, in turn, joined Deyan Tsonev’s concert (23 May, Exhibition Halls) as a chamber partner and host, and Slavena Katsarova participated with a solo performance and in a piano duo. Bachelor and Master Degree programme students and colleagues from MDT participated in Viktoria Georgieva’s concert “A bouquet of emotions” (25 May, Chamber Hall of MDT “Konstantin Kisimov”).
Apart from the traditional solo concerts, graduate concerts are becoming bigger events which include many performers. Dobrin Peltekov’s solo performance (19 May, Exhibition Halls) was part of a brass concert with students from “Emiliyan Stanev” Secondary school and students from the Methodology of Music Teaching degree course, with doctoral student Yordan Tsvetanov as bandmaster.
The high point of the concert was the “Harvest-time in Dobrudzha” musical-dance performance choreographed by Viliyan Radev and performed by “Ludi Mladi” ensemble and “Tempo” dance group from Novi Pazar, “Rosna Kitka” choir from Vetrino and the folk orchestra of Methodology of Music Teaching degree course students. Viliyan Radev composed 13 original pieces imbued with motifs from authentic melodies for the concert, which were performed by his grandfather Radi Ginov. The concert was a true holiday of folk music, one in which the authentic meaning of traditional rites was sought through the customs during harvest.
The genre and style variation in the repertoire of the music teachers to be is remarkable. Their performances ranged from “genre music” for the accordion (Teodora Todorova) through the masterpieces of Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms and Rachmaninov (in Deyan Tsonev’s virtuoso performance) and a vocal performance “From Pergolesi to Pancho Vladigerov” to a mix of pop, jazz, folklore and modern dance (Viktoria Georgieva). The concert of “The Voice of Bulgaria” winner Steliyana Hristova will be in the same spirit.
Credit for the brilliant achievements of the graduates goes to their professors from the Department of Music who will be listed here in order of the concerts: Chief Assist. Prof. Vasya Mandikova, PhD, Assoc. Prof. Mitko Dimitrov, Assoc. Prof. Dr Binka Karaivanova, Prof Srebra Mihaleva, Assoc. Prof. Stefka Bocheva.