New Year's Music Festival - NMF was established in 1986 as a replica of the musical celebrations in Vienna. The festival is held annually and covers the period of Christmas and New Year holidays. NMF is loved and visited by residents of Sofia and its guests. Particularly anticipated is the Festive New Year's Concert on January 1st, which is broadcast live on BNT from 18:30 to 20:00 hours throughout all years of the festival's existence. This is the Bulgarian music celebration with which we enter the New Year and the culmination of NMF.

History

The festival was born in the image and likeness of the best festivals in Europe, presenting mainly classical music. It was founded by Emil Chakarov (1948-1991) - a student and assistant of Herbert von Karajan. He is the only Bulgarian who conducted the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Karajan and is recognized as the most talented student of the great conductor. His successors over the years have been conductors Yuliyan Kovachev, Rosen Milanov, Nayden Todorov, and Emil Tabakov, who further developed the tradition with their own style.

Musical Partners

The Festival Symphony Orchestra was created by Chakarov for the purposes of NMF. Elite Bulgarian and foreign orchestras such as the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio, the Opera-Philharmonic Societies' orchestras in Plovdiv, Varna, Ruse, Stara Zagora, the National Music Academy "Prof. Pancho Vladigerov," the National Music School "L. Pipkov," and others have been invited to participate.

Over the years, the most authoritative Bulgarian musicians have participated in the programs of NMF, including:

Aleksandrina Milcheva, Kaludi Kaludov, Boyko Tsvetanov, Nikolay Gyaourov, Nikola Guzelev, Anna Tomova-Sintova, Gena Dimitrova, Aleksandrina Penachanska, Tsvetlina Vasileva, Valeri Popova, Vesselina Kasarova, Gena Dimitrova, Ivan Konsulov, Stefka Evstatieva, Darina Takova, Petia Ivanova, Dimitar Petkov, Raina Kabaivanova, Yulian Konstantinov, Orlin Anastasov, Emil Ivanov, Kamen Chanev, Rumen Doykov, Lachezar Parvchev, Lyudmil Angelov, Milcho Leviev, Vesko Eshkenazi, Svetlin Roussev, Vaso Vasilev, Vasil Genov, Denitsa Lafchieva, Theodosii Spassov, Milcho Leviev, Alexis Weissenberg, and others.

Famous conductors, singers, and instrumentalists, as well as musical institutions from around the world, have also performed at the festival, including:

Herbert von Karajan, Gian Carlo Menotti, Riccardo Muti, Claudio Abbado, Yuri Bashmet, Konstantin Orbelian, Eraldo Salmieri, Emil Tabakov, Sarah Chang, Mirela Freni, Nikolai Gedda, Elena Obraztsova, Agnes Baltsa, Peter Dvorsky, Mikis Theodorakis, Katya Ricciarelli, Vesselina Kasarova, Gail Gilmore, Ivo Pogorelich, Eriko Sumii, Vanessa Mae, Patrick Gallois, Nigel Kennedy, Montserrat Caballé, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Alexis Weissenberg, Natalia Gutman, Oleg Kagan, Julian Rachlin, Vadim Repin, Valery Gergiev, Arditti String Quartet, Salzburg String Trio, Renaissance Ensemble Yugoslavia, Bolshoi Theatre, La Scala Milan, Swedish Royal Ballet, Leningrad Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Academic Orchestra, English Royal Ballet, London Symphony Orchestra, Ricochet Dance Company, Leningrad Theatre for Opera and Ballet, London Philharmonic Orchestra, La Scala Orchestra - Milan, Vienna and Moscow Symphonies, Moscow Soloists, Vienna State Opera, Schönbrunn Palace Orchestra - Vienna, and many others.

Musicians from the younger generation who found a stage for expression at NMF include:
Veselin Panteleev-Eshkenazi, Vaso Vasilev, Svetlin Roussev, Biljana Vuchkova, Olga Gyurkovska, Liyana Koteva, Marina Dimitrova, Mihail Petrov, Mila Georgieva, Svetoslav Hvarchilkov, Georgi Vasilev, Denitsa Lafchieva, Stoyanova Guitar Duo, Paul Gershwin, Fedor Rudin, Antonia-Alexa Georgieva, Valia Dervenska, Atanas Krastev, David Dyakov, Mihail Petrov, and many others.