Round table on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Bogomil Starshenov

On 9 June 2026, a round table took place dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Bogomil Starshenov (1926–1985) – an encyclopaedic personality: pianist, piano pedagogue, publicist, and public figure, one of the “builders and creators” of musical life in Bulgaria from the 1950s to the end of his life. The Round Table is part of the accompanying programme for the 57th edition of the Sofia Music Weeks International Festival. It is the first scientific forum organised jointly by the two institutions within the framework of a recently concluded agreement.
In her official welcome to the participants, the Director of the Institute, Prof. Joanna Spassova-Dikova, PhD, stressed that Prof. Starshenov's merits extended far beyond the performing and pedagogical fields, making a particularly important contribution to the popularisation of Bulgarian musical art.
The reports and speeches were grouped into several thematic segments related to various spheres of Bogomil Starshenov's numerous creative and social activities as a concert pianist, piano pedagogue, and organiser of concert life in the country. The participants were musicians who had communicated professionally with Bogomil Starshenov, his piano students, and researchers.
The main report, “Bogomil Starshenov – musician, public figure, erudite”, was presented by Assoc. Prof. Diana Danova-Damyanova, PhD, from the Music Sector of the Institute of Art Studies, whose research is based solely on documentary sources. The presentation was constructed in two large sections: the first was a summary story about the intense creative path of Bogomil Starshenov, and the second was dedicated to one of the significant concert forums created by him – the movement “Bulgarian Music Youth” in its initial stage (1969–1975), rediscovered through preserved programs in the “Music of the New Age” Archive of the Institute of Art Studies.
Prof. Plamen Dzhurov – Director General of State Association “Music” in the period 1982–1989 and Chairman of the Sofia Music Weeks International Festival from 2007 to 2022 shared memorable moments of his professional and personal communication with Bogomil Starshenov. Kalina Dobreva, a longtime musicologist at the State Association “Music”, revealed the manner of organising the concert events of “Bulgarian Music Youth” at a later stage.
In her extensive exposé, based on vivid memories of communicating with Prof. Starshenov, the pianist Angela Tosheva, PhD, commented on his piano methodology and his specific pedagogical approach, and stressed their importance to Bulgarian musical culture as a whole. Another of his students, Mariana Gyurkova, a piano professor at the Royal Academy of Music in Madrid, also took part directly from Spain, adding interesting details of their work together.
Silvia Tihova, a longtime journalist at the Bulgarian National Radio, brought the Round table to an appropriate end. Through the musical illustrations she provided – documentary recordings of his interpretations of works by Ludwig van Beethoven and Frédéric Chopin – the concert pianist ‘came to life’ in front of the audience. The scientific forum, moderated by the current President of the Sofia Music Weeks International Festival, Prof. Momchil Georgiev, PhD, has provoked the interest of musicologists, performers, doctoral students, students, and journalists.