57th Sofia Music Weeks International Festival

May 24, 2026 12:00 AM / Oct 10, 2026 12:00 AM

The 57th Sofia Music Weeks International Festival takes place from 24 May to 10 October 2026, with the financial support of Sofia Municipality as part of the city’s 2026 Calendar of Cultural Events.

Under the motto “Made in Bulgaria 2”, the festival brings together more than 570 participants from 16 countries for an extensive programme of symphonic and chamber concerts, opera galas, vocal recitals, premieres, masterclasses and performances by established and emerging musicians.

The 2026 edition highlights Bulgarian composers celebrating milestone anniversaries, woodwind instruments, vocal recitals and wind ensembles. Featured artists include pianist Nadezhda Tsanova, clarinettist Rosen Idealov and cellist Atanas Krastev, while Armenia and Greece are the festival’s featured countries.

The festival opens on 24 May at 7:00 pm at Bulgaria Hall with an opera gala featuring artists from Raina Kabaivanska’s school – Victoria Yeo, Alexandrina Mihaylova, Baya Saganelidze, Arsen Soghomonyan and Giuseppe Infantino – together with the Sofia Philharmonic conducted by Maestro Nayden Todorov. The programme includes arias and duets from operas by Verdi, Puccini, Cilea and Mascagni.

Earlier that day, at 12:00 pm in the Bulgaria Chamber Hall, a special children’s matinée, “Rhymes with Songs, Easy for Children”, will feature the Children’s Opera Choir conducted by Tanya Lazarova, alongside the presentation of a music collection and a book by Filip Pavlov.

Highlights of the festival include anniversaries dedicated to prominent Bulgarian and international composers and musicians, as well as world premieres and works being performed in Bulgaria for the first time.

The “Made in Bulgaria” series features Bulgarian musicians with distinguished international careers, including Albena Danailova, Alexander Somov, Alexander Hinchev, Lora Markova, Nikolay Kolarov and Rosen Gergov, alongside premieres of works by Bulgarian composers.

A number of renowned artists and ensembles from Bulgaria and abroad will make their first appearance at the festival, including Christoph Eschenbach, Kirill Petrenko, the National Opera of China, Gail Archer and Susan Milan, among many others.

The festival’s traditional orchestral programme features the Sofia Philharmonic, Pleven Philharmonic, symphony orchestras from Vratsa and Shumen, the Bulgarian Chamber Orchestra from Dobrich, Pioneer Philharmonic, the orchestra of the Konstantin Kisimov Music and Drama Theatre in Veliko Tarnovo, and the Festival Orchestra.

The Young Musician Stage gives emerging performers and prize-winners from national and international competitions an opportunity to take part in the festival programme.

The programme also includes presentations of books, sheet music and recordings, together with masterclasses led by Desislava Peteva, Lyudmil Angelov, Nicolas Tamagna, Petya Bagovska, Suzana Klincharova and others.

Running until 10 October 2026, Sofia Music Weeks turns the Bulgarian capital into a meeting place for generations of musicians, musical traditions and contemporary creativity.