Iordan Dafov

Yordan Dafov graduated from the State Academy of Music in 1966 majoring in Conducting under Professor Konstantin Iliev and Composition under Professor Pancho Vladigerov. He specialised under Olivier Messiaen in Paris (1970). His creative activity was mostly related to conducting practice: he conducted the Varna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Varna Opera Orchestra (1966-77). He also worked as chief artistic director of the Burgas Philharmonic Orchestra (1977-81) and conductor of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra (since 1981). He founded and conducted the Bulgarian Chamber Orchestra in Dobrich (1971-96). As a conductor, he performed works dating from the baroque period to modern music. He gave concerts with most Bulgarian symphony and chamber orchestras in Europe, Asia and America.He wrote four symphonies and other orchestral and chamber works; choral songs; theatre music, etc. He orchestrated the quartets of Dmitri Shostakovich, arranged Brahms’s Hungarian Dances for chamber orchestra and Bartok’s Microcosmos for symphony orchestra (1974). His works were performed with success in the USA, Japan, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Russia, and were recorded by the Bulgarian recording company Balkanton and also by recording companies in Japan and France .