Gancho Ganchev

GANCHO GANCHEV (b. 1963) is a conductor and arranger‑orchestrator. He graduates from the “Prof. Asen Diamandiev” Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv in 1989, majoring in orchestral conducting under Prof. Ivan Spasov, and later specializes in opera conducting with Assoc. Prof. Kiril Chaplikov. Even as a student, he serves as an assistant conductor and leads student orchestras and choirs. Since 1990, he has lived and worked in Varna, where he plays a key role in reviving the traditions of children’s opera. Since 1993, he has been the artistic director and conductor of the Varna Children’s and Youth Opera, and since 1998, its chief artistic director. From 2002 to 2025, he serves as Chief Expert for “Orchestras and Ensembles” in the Department of Culture and Spiritual Development of the Varna Municipality. He is also the artistic secretary of the “Prof. Georgi Dimitrov” International May Choral Competition. From 2018 to 2024, he serves as Vice President, and from 2024 to January 2026 as President of the Bulgarian Choral Union. Since January 2026, he has been Director of the “Konstantin Kisimov” Music and Drama Theatre in Veliko Tarnovo. Throughout his professional career, he has founded and conducted a wide range of symphony, chamber, and choral ensembles. He orchestrates and arranges music for the theatre and the symphonic stage, as well as chamber works for various instrumental and vocal formations. In 2004, he founded the Varna Chamber Orchestra, with which he has given more than 120 concerts in Bulgaria and abroad. In 2015, inspired by an idea of conductor Nayden Todorov, he and his wife Miglena Shisheva established the Children’s and Youth Opera at the Ruse State Opera. He has served as conductor and director for more than twenty musicals and has taken part in numerous opera and choral productions. He collaborates actively with leading Bulgarian and international performers. His concert activity has taken him to many European countries, including Germany, Austria, Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Italy, Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands. He has made recordings for Bulgarian National Radio, Radio Varna, and CBS Radio Canada. He is the recipient of the “Shofar” Award (2010), the “Golden Lyre” (2013), and the “Crystal Necklace” for his overall contribution to the development of Bulgarian musical culture (2023).