Antoni Donchev’s name is associated with almost all the prestigious performances of Bulgarian jazz in recent years. His star rose as a co-founder of the renowned formation “Acoustic Version”, which, with its first appearance on the European podium, won the grand prize at the competition in Hoeilaart – Belgium in 1985. A year later in Leverkusen, Germany, “Acoustic Version” was awarded the most prestigious prize of European jazz – the international jury led by Joachim-Ernst Behrendt and Pavel Brodowski awarded the Grand Prize of the European Jazz Federation to Antoni Donchev and Hristo Yotsov and announcing them as “Young European Jazz Artists ’86”. An extremely fruitful period followed, in which Antoni Donchev together with “Acoustic Version” reaped success on world stages and renowned jazz festivals: Ost-West in Nuremberg, Jazz Jamboree in Warsaw, Jazz Jatra in Bombay, Zagreb, Hanover, Prague, Rormond, Moscow , Istanbul, Tbilisi, Thessaloniki, etc.

Parallel to his activity with “Acoustic Version”, Antoni Donchev carries out projects with various world-famous musicians (Joe Lovano, Kurt Elling, George Garzone, Kenny Wheeler, Tom Harrell, Tomasz Stanko, Jerry Bergonzi, Conrad Herwig, Tommy Smith, Vladimir Tarasov, Petras Vysniauskas, Stephane Belmondo, Reiner Winterschladen, Eric Vloeimans, Lars Danielsson, Glen Moore, Christof Lauer, Benjamin Schmid, Georg Breinschmid, NDR Big Band, etc.), tours as solo pianist, premieres piano concertos composed especially for him and recorded together with the Symphony Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio, composes film and theater music.
Releases CDs for BMG, Balkanton, Sony Music, Polysound, Kuker Music, etc. In recent years, he has worked very successfully with the theater director Teddy Moskov, whose productions of “Swan Song” at the Schauspielhaus – Dusseldorf (1995), “Macbew” at the Bremer Theater – Bremen (1996), “House No. 13”, “Blue in Blue” and “Cyrano” at the Thalia Theater – Hamburg (1997-2003) were received with superlatives by the German critics. He is the winner of a number of awards for theater and film music. Conductor of the Bulgarian Radio Big Band since 2010. Chairman of the Board of the Bulgarian Music Association from its establishment until 2018.
Antoni Donchev is a bright example of a modern musician who easily and skillfully handles the diverse forms of music making at the beginning of the 21st century and who can easily combine the diversity of jazz stylistics, folklore and classical music in all their aspects.

FESTIVALS AND CONCERTS

Antoni Donchev has participated in festivals and concerts held in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Denmark, Israel, India, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Cyprus, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, Mexico , Norway, United Arab Emirates, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, USA, Slovakia, Syria, Serbia, Taiwan, Turkey, Hungary, Ukraine, Finland, France, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Croatia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden.

AWARDS

1. The Grand Prix and Best Soloist Award – Oylaart, Belgium – 1985

2. The Grand Prize and the title Jazz Artist of Europe – Leverkusen, Germany – 1986

3. Prize for theater music – Varna, 1988

4. Silver lira of the Union of Musicians in Bulgaria – 1988

5. Prize for theater music – Varna, 1990

6. Award for film music of the Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers – 1997

7. Golden feather – 1999

8. Crystal lyre of the Union of Musicians in Bulgaria – 2001

9. Award for film music of the Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers – 2007

10. Askeer Award for Theater Music – 2013

11. Crystal Lira of SBMTD for the Big Band of BNR – 2013

12. Golden feather – 2016

Music for theatre:

1. Fisherman’s quarrels (K. Goldoni) – Varna, 1985
2. Some can, others can’t (St. Moskov) – Dobrich, 1986
3. Phantasmagoria (St. Moscow) – NDK, 1987
4. The most beautiful village (R. Moskova) – Dobrich, 1988
5. Till Eulenspiegel (musical) – Ruse, 1989
6. The Underground (Hr. Boychev) – Botevgrad, 1990
7. Six people are looking for an author (L. Pirandello) – Sofia Theater, 1991
8. Cyrano! (E. Rostan) – Satirical Theater, 1993
9. Marmalade (St. Moscow) – La Strada Theater, 1994
10. Swan Songs (A. Chekhov) – Dusseldorf, 1995
11. Macbew (Shakespeare/Jarry) – Bremen, 1996
12. House No. 13 (A. Chekhov) – Hamburg, 1997
13. Pinocchio (K. Goldoni) – Bochum, 1997
14. Master and Margarita (M. Bulgakov) – Bulgarian Army Theater, Sofia, 1998
15. Twelfth Night (W. Shakespeare) – Sofia, 1998
16. Blue in Blue (St. Moskov) – Hamburg, 1998
17. Pinocchio (K. Goldoni) – Hamburg, 2000
18. Comedy of Servants (St. Moscow) – Bulgarian Army Theater, Sofia, 2002
19. Cyrano (E. Rostan) – Hamburg, 2003
20. Platonov (A. Chekhov) – Frankfurt, 2003
21. Little Tzaches (E. T. Hoffmann) – Hamburg, 2003
22. Phantasmagoria 2 (St. Moscow) – Bulgarian Army Theater, Sofia, 2004
23. The Sleeping Beauty (Br. Grimm) – Stuttgart, 2004
24. The Deer King (K. Gotsi) – Darmstadt, 2004
25. The gun will go off after the intermission (A. Chekhov) – National Theater, Sofia, 2005
26. Animal on the Throne (St. Moskov) – MGT Behind the Canal, Sofia, 2007
27. Four pairs of epaulettes (K. Donev) – MGT Behind the Canal, Sofia, 2008
28. Odysseus Travels (St. Moscow) – Bulgarian Army Theater, Sofia, 2008
29. Sleeping beauty (St. Moscow) – MGT Behind the Canal, Sofia, 2009
30. Good Bad Time (St. Moskov) – Drama Theater, Plovdiv, 2009
31. Cyrano de Bergerac (St. Moscow) – National Theater, Sofia, 2010
32. One small radio (M. Novoselska, St. Moskov) – Sofia, 2011
33. Macbeth (Shakespeare) – Youth Theater, Sofia, 2012
34. The Misunderstood Civilization (St. Moscow) – MGT Behind the Canal, Sofia, 2012
35. Richard III (Shakespeare) – National Theater, Sofia, 2013
36. What you want me (L. Pirandello), – National Theater, 2015
37. My friends (S. Schwartz/St. Moskov) – MGT Behind the Canal, Sofia, 2015
38. The Purple Island (M. Bulgakov) – DCT Varna, 2016
39. The Swallower (D. Georgieva – Ronya) – Theater 199, Sofia, 2016
40. Western (St. Moskov) – DCT Varna, 2018
41. Which bastard ate the cheese (S. Schwartz/St. Moskov) – D.T., Ruse, 2018
42. I love, you love, she loves – (St. Moscow) – MGT Behind the Canal, Sofia 2019
43. Capital/on/ mistake (Ivan Panteleev) – National Theater, Sofia, 2020

Music for feature films :

1. A Place Under the Sun – 1986
2. Winter Sun – 1987
3. Running Dogs – 1988 (Debut Award)
4. Anthrax – 1989
5. The Summer of Love of a Lochman -1990 (The Grand Prize of the International Turin Film Festival; The special prize of the jury of the festivals in Montevideo and Varna)

6. Emilia’s Friends – 1996 (Fiprese Award – Thessaloniki; Special Jury Prize – Varna)

7. Wagner – 1998
8. Graveyard of the Nameless – 1999
9. And the Lord came down to see us – 2000
10. Rhapsody in White – 2002
11. Life with Sofia – 2003
12. My Mother – 2004
13. Seamstresses – 2007

Music for TV movies:

1. The Street (series) – 1993 – 2005
2. The Village – 1999
3. The glory of Bulgaria – 2003

Works for symphony orchestra

Variations on Freedom – 2013
Concerto grosso for jazz quintet and orchestra – 2018

Chamber Music

24 Cadences for the violin concertos of V. A. Mozart
48 plays for different compositions

Important recordings:

1. Focus Jazz Quartet – 1985
2. Acoustic version – 1986
3. Folk – Jazz – 1988
4. Concerto for piano and strings (B. Eliezer – written for A. Donchev) – 1990
5. Change of direction – 1992
6. Concerto for improvisational piano and orchestra (L. Denev – written for A. Donchev) 1993
1993
7. The voice of the rainbow (with Y. Ibrahimova) – 1995
8. Jazz in DeSetkata (with Acoustic Version) – 1996
9. Jazz Mood – 1997
10. House No. 13 – 2000
12. Q Artet (with Vl. Tarasov, A. Vapirov, V. Volkov) – 2005
13. Closer – 2006
14. Inner Spaces – 2007
15. Splinters Of Emotions – 2008
16. New Balkan Influenza – 2010
17. Senza Sordino – 2011
18. Double Brain /s Brain’s Cafe/ – 2014
19. Time In Time Out /with Acoustic Version/ – 2015