Todor Krastev was born in 1944 in the village of Pet Mogili, Nova Zagora municipality. He graduated from Evening High School – Sliven and AMTII – Plovdiv, majoring in “Folklore” and “Pedagogy”. At the age of 14, he started playing the guidulka. Since 1962, he has been a drummer in the newly created self-made ensemble “Sliven”. At ANPT “Sliven” he was a concertmaster and performer in the period 1965-1972. And from 1972 he was the conductor of the orchestra and a performer. Since 1980, he has been conductor of the ANPT choir, and since 1992, conductor of the orchestra and deputy chief artistic director of the Ensemble. Since 1993, he has been the chief artistic director and conductor of the orchestra, from 1994 to 2011 he has been the chief artistic director and director of the ANPT “Sliven”.
Todor Krastev is a corresponding member of the BAS. For half a century, he gave his knowledge and talent to ANPT “Sliven”, to the representative teams of the city and the region. Winner of dozens of awards, an excellent musician, teacher, conductor, composer and leader, he still works to popularize Bulgarian folklore.