Emil Glavanakov

Emil Glavanakov (1918–1978) was born in Sofia and began studying violin at an early age with Todor Torchanov. He graduated from the State Academy of Music with a major in viola in the class of Stefan Sugarev and composition with Vesselin Stoyanov (1942). He began his professional career as a violinist in the Tsarist Military Symphony Orchestra, continuing later in the Sofia Philharmonic. During the same period, he graduated from the newly opened orchestral conducting class at the State Academy of Music. From 1950 he was conductor of the Varna Symphony Orchestra, and from 1956 to 1975 he was its chief artistic director. Among his great achievements as a conductor are symphonies by Mozart, Beethoven, Berlioz, Brahms, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, etc. From 1952 Emil Glavanakov began to stage and conduct some of the productions of the Varna Opera House as a conductor - "Un Ball in Maske" (Verdi), "The Queen of Spades" (Tchaikovsky), "Carmen" (Bizet), etc. He made numerous recordings with the Varna and Sofia Philharmonic Orchestras, toured in the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Germany, etc. He was awarded the Order of Cyril and Methodius, 1 st.