Violinist ANGEL STANKOV is a figure engaged in the concert life at home and abroad through his versatile activity as soloist, chamber musician, and longtime concertmaster of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, lecturer, jury member and conductor. Mr. Stankov has toured in most European countries, the United States, Japan, Taiwan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Cuba, played in the most prestigious halls such as Carnegie Hall – New York, Kennedy Center, Gewandhaus
– Leipzig, the Moscow Conservatory Hall, Izumi Hall – Osaka, Suntory Hall – Tokio, the Nice Opera House, among others.
His impressive concert performances are well known, as welll as his recordings and awards as a soloist and as a member of the chamber violin duo with Yossif Radionov.
As a conductor he worked under the guidance of Hristo Ivanov, Dobrin Petkov and Assen Naydenov. He has conducted many of Bulgaria’s chamber and symphony orchestras (the Philharmonic Orchestras of Sofia and Russe, the Symphony Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio, the Academic Symphony Orchestra), as well as foreign ensembles – the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine, the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonic of Niš, Thessaloniki Symphony Orchestra, and Istanbul Chamber Orchestra. His appearances as conductor include the concerts of British music where he premiered works and authors on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the British Council in Bulgaria and the 125th anniversary of
the diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Bulgaria. He conducted the Beethoven Symphonies concert cycle (1999/2000 season) on the double occasion of the composer’s 230th anniversary and the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the European Union, with the assistance of the European Commission. He also participates in the series “First Prize Winners from the Balkan Countries at International Competitions”.
Mr. Stankov gave the world premieres of Vocalise for voice and symphony orchestra by Peter Hristoskov, Adagio by Krassimir Taskov, Baroque concert on Beatles themes by Boris Karadimchev, made recordings for television broadcasting and compact-discs.
For his performance of Simple Sympho- ny by Benjamin Britten, the Music Ho- rizons magazine noted „his flair for the sound, the character of thematicism and the sound production” (n. 4/ 2004). His performance at the Opera in the Open 2004 Summer Festival was memorable for the way it evoked “an impressive ka- leidoscope of tonal hues and moods” in the Italian Capriccio and the inspiration of the conductor in the 1812 Ouverture by Tchaikovsky.
Angel Stankov is a graduate of the National Academy of Music where he studied under Leon Souroujon and Vladimir Avramov. On the recommendation of Ruggiero Ricci he specialized in London with Manug Parikyan and later with Yfrah Neaman.
He became a Professor at the National Academy of Music in Sofia and later occupied the position of Deputy Rector.
Together with Yosiff Radionov, Mr. Stankov has received a number of prestigious awards, which include the Golden Lyre Prize of the Union of Bulgarian Musical and Dance Workers, Prize for Great Artistic Achievements at the XII Youth Festival – Moscow, 100 Years Bela Bartok, First Prize and Gold Medal at the First International Chamber Music Festival in Osaka’93.
There are numerous recordings made by Mr. Stankov both in the capacity of a soloist and as member of the violin duo Stankov-Radionov, for the Bulgarian Radio and Television, BBC – London, the Hague Radio, Prague Radio, Russian end French Television, Yomiuri Television, Radio NHK – Japan, etc. His recording legacy comprises numerous gramophone records, tape recordings and compact- discs.
In 2003 Angel Stankov taught violin performance at the School of Arts in North Carolina, USA, and gave a number of successful recitals in the United States.
Mr. Stankov has served both as a member and chairman of the juries at HELEXPO and the Panhellenic violin competitions in Greece and a number of other national and international competitions.
In 2009, Queen Elizabeth II awarded him the title “Member of the Order of the British Empire” for his merits in the popularization of British music and culture in Bulgaria. He also acquired the title “Honorary Citizen of Sofia”.