Children's school of music and performative arts
The Children's School of Music and Performative Arts was created 57 years ago, in 1950, and was one of the first in the country. Initially, only the following musical instruments and disciplines were taught at the school:
- piano,
- violin,
- accordion,
- guitar,
- solfeggio.
During certain periods, traditional folk instruments (such as kaval (shepherd's pipe), bagpipe, rebec) and wind instruments (clarinet, trumpet, baritone) were also taught at the school.
Later, a ballet school (of both classical and modern ballet) and a language school teaching English and German were created within the school.
School's varied and ample activities along the years owe much to the magnificent team of teachers, such as Donagan Andreev, Boris Manchev, Magdalena Mishaykova, Ruzha Kissyova, Peko Todorov, Svetoslav Mankov, Lyubomir Kadiev, Petar Karagenov, Mariela Tsenova, Maya Panayotova, Tsetsa Stoyanova, Olga Mladenova, and plenty more. Already in the early years of its existence, within the School is founded a Children's Musical Theatre whose orchestra is composed of pupils of the School. It stages children's operas and operettas like "Valkat i sedemte kozleta" ("The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids"), "Chervenata shapchitsa" ("Little Red Riding Hood"), "Zayko Vseznayko", "Noshten pohod" that get performed over and over again in overcrowded halls. The performances are accompanied by the children of the School who learn musical instruments and city's symphonic orchestra. It is hardly possible to enlist the multitude of concerts and performances of the pupils of the school on various occasions, holidays, celebrations, and the like.
The children of the School have been awarded at multiple national and international contests: Iveta Lazarova (accordion) – 1st prize at a contest in the town of Klingental, Roumen Sofiyanski (accordion) – 1st prize at the same contest, Tsvetan Ognyanov (violin), Mirela Pavlova (violin), to name just a few. Many of the children trained at the school choose music as their carrier and carry on with their professional development in the symphonic orchestras around the country. To name a few: Dimitar Panov, who became a conductor of the philharmonic orchestra of Vratsa, Bozhidar Mihaylov, Tomislav Asparuhov, the Chavdar and Nikolay Nikolovi brothers, Kamen Goturanov, Nina Karagenova, and so many more.
The ballet company is formed as a separate section of the School in 1957. Thousands of children from our town have been trained in it under the skilful supervision of pedagogues such as the soloist of the Opera of Sofia – Asen Gavrilov, Mihail Marinov, Krum Kanev, Dimitar Spasov, Zinaida Konova, Viola Alexandrova. The children from the ballet company have delivered numerous concerts of their own, as well as taken part in various joint spectacles such as "Tantsova Fantaziya" ("Dancing Fairy-tale"), "Vesel Den" ("A Jolly Day"), "Chestita Koleda" ("Marry Christmas") and plenty of others. Many of the children trained in the ballet company set to continue their artistic carriers in prestigious opera and operetta theatres; among those: Regina Yupiter – soloist of "Stefan Makedonski" Musical Theatre, Zhivko Lyubenov – soloist of the Opera of Sofia, Yordan Toromanski, Anna-Maria Gyuzeleva, Vessa Tonova – prima ballerina of the Opera of Sofia, etc.
The language school teaches English and German. They have been taught to thousands of children willingly learning the languages of Shakespeare and Schiller.
At present, 200 children are receiving tuition in the corresponding sections of the excellently equipped and commanding the services of a superb teaching staff of proven professionalism Children's School of Music and Performative Arts.