Ilia Temkov

Iliya Temkov is a Bulgarian conductor, musicologist, composer, publicist and public figure.

He was born on February 28, 1923 in Sofia. In 1949 he graduated from the Sofia Academy of Music. From 1944 to 1948 he was the music director of the Children's and Youth Department and a full-time composer at Radio Sofia, today the Bulgarian National Radio. From 1945 to 1951 he was a musicologist at the Sofia Philharmonic, organizing the first music lectures in our country, which he later held throughout Bulgaria. In 1950, Sasha Popov assigned Iliya Temkov the formation and leadership of the Sofia Philharmonic Choir, and from 1951 to 1956 he was second conductor of the Plovdiv Philharmonic.

From 1956 to 1959 he specialized with Heinz Bongartz in Dresden. He additionally studied the history of German music at the Humboldt University of Berlin. In Germany, he gave concerts in Berlin, Weimar, Dresden, Leipzig and Halle. Among the orchestras he played with were the Dresden Staatskapelle and the Leipzig Gewandhaus. From 1957 to 1960, he was conductor of the Radio Berlin Orchestra and made over 100 recordings with it of Bulgarian and German classical and contemporary music.

In 1960, he returned to Bulgaria. He became chief conductor of the State Symphony Orchestra of Ruse. He was also briefly director of the Ruse State Opera. In 1972, he was appointed artistic director of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Bulgarian People's Army. He was chief conductor of the Shumen Philharmonic. Many provincial orchestras are associated with his musical activity, but the Razgrad Philharmonic Orchestra holds a special place, where he often performed. From 1980 to 1983 he was the editor-in-chief of the first Bulgarian newspaper for musical art - "Musical Life". He was also the editor-in-chief of the magazine "Musical Horizons".

As a conductor, he toured in Romania, Hungary, the USSR, Poland, the GDR, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Austria.

Temkov is the founder of the "March Music Days" festival (1961) and the "Young Bulgarian Performers" competition (1967). His idea for creating the first "Winter Music Evenings" festival in Ruse was also his.

He is the author of children's and choral songs, as well as music for radio plays.

For his cultural activities he was awarded the Order of Cyril and Methodius – I, II and III degrees, and the Order of the People's Republic of Bulgaria – II degree, and was awarded the title of "Honored Artist". For his special contribution to German musical culture he was awarded a state award of the GDR.

He was awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen" of the city of Ruse.