Ivan Marinov

Ivan Marinov (1928 – 2003) studied conducting with Marin Goleminov and composition with Professor Vesselin Stoyanov and Professor Parashkev Khadizev at the National Academy of Music in Sofia, graduating in 1955. He specialised in Berlin with Franz Convinci (1957). Marinov was appointed Head of the Opera Theatres Department at the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture (1955-1956) and Music Director of the Bulgarian Cinematography Enterprise (1956-1959). Later he worked as chief conductor of the Philharmonic orchestras in Plovdiv (1962-1966), Sofia and Ruse (1966-1978), and Ankara, Turkey (1976-1977); chief conductor and artistic director of the Varna Philharmonic (1978-1988), chief conductor of the Sofia Opera (1987-1991). He has guest conducted orchestras in Europe, Canada, Mexico and the USA. He was member of the jury of the Karajan International Competition in Berlin and for the Fitelberg Competition in Poland. He was prize-winner at the World Youth Festival in Moscow (1957), at national festivals, etc. His practice won him recognition as one of the Bulgarian leading opera and orchestral conductors. He was internationally acclaimed, too. He has made over 60 recordings, 14 of which are complete works of various composers. He also taught composition and conducting to graduate students. Ivan Marinov was Secretary of the Union of Bulgarian Composers (1968-1972), Deputy Head of the Art and Culture Committee (the today’s Bulgarian Ministry of Culture) (1972-1975), Chairman of the National Music Council (2001-2003). Ivan Marinov composed symphonic music; cantatas and other works for voice and symphony orchestra; chamber works; choral, children’s and pop songs; film and theatre music. He was prize-winner at the Queen Elizabeth Composition Competition in Belgium (1956). He also won the honorary Amphora of La Scala, Milan, the Golden Dagger of the Berlin Festive Days, the Golden Orpheus Award for children’s music (1963), the Sofia Music Award (1967), etc.