Following a two–year period of study at the State Academy of Music (now Professor Pantcho Vladiguerov National Academy of Music, Sofia), the future famous vocal pedagogue and composer Georgi Zlatev–Cherkin (1905–1977) fulfilled his dream to attend studies in Vienna.  He attended the High School of Music and Dramatic Arts, a student of the vocal pedagogue Professor Theo Lierhammer. Simultaneously, he was a private student in composition with Joseph Marx. He made his first appearances on stage in Vienna – performing roles at the Academic Opera Theatre, participating as soloist in performances of cantatas and oratorios, and performing programs of operatic arias and songs. Following his graduation, he became lecturer at the State Academy of Music in Sofia (1929–36). Arrived to Vienna again to become assistant to Lierhammer (1936–38), but following the Anschluss returned to his native Bulgaria. Since 1940, Cherkin served as lecturer at the State Academy of Music, rising to professorship in 1944, and becoming rector (1948–54) and a dean of the vocal faculty (1960–74). He has worked as vocal educator at the Conservatories in Beijing, Tian Zin, and Shanghai in China (1955–58). His students include famous Bulgarian singers, as well as Ljuba Welitsch, prima of the world opera stages. Georgi Zlatev–Cherkin is author of several operettas (The Butterfly of Paris, Song of Rebellion, The Lotus Flower, The Hidden Treasure – co–authored by Georgi Georgiev–Cherkin), many songs for voice with piano or orchestral accompaniment (these include The Girl With the Blue Eyes on lyrics by Elisaveta Bagryana, The Maiden’s Lamentation on text by Nicola Lankov, Awake and Asleep on a text by Pencho Slaveykov), the vocal cycle Bachelor’s Songs (lyrics by Tsanko Tserkovski), a cycle of romances Until the Morrow (verses by Blaga Dimitrova), choral songs, chamber music, etc.