Emil Mirtchev started playing piano at the age of six. From 1972 to 1975 he studied in Prague at the Conservatoire for young people with poor eyesight majoring in Piano under Jozef Skalak, Organ under Karel Hejda and Gabriela Riedelbauchova and Composition as un elective course under Jaroslav Rybar. After a two-year study at the Academy for Music and Dance Art in Plovdiv (1977-79), he contued his studies at the National Academy of Music in the composition class of Professor Dimitar Tapkoff (1979-86). He received the Pancho Vladigerov scholarship of the Union of Bulgarian Composers. From 1984 to 1990 he also studied Musicology at the National Academy of Music. From 1990 to 1999 he studied Muzicology, Slavic Studies and Protestant Theology (Church History) at the Georg August University in Goettingen (Germany). His master’s thesis was entitled “Formgestaltung in den Trois Chorals fuer Orgel von Caesar Franck” (1998). He gave lectures at the National University and at the “Georg August” University in Göttingen and AMTII – Plovdiv. Since 2000 he was appointed lecturer in Church History, History of Religion and History of Culture at the Theological College “Stefan Konstantinov” in Sofia. In 2003 he joined the faculty of the New Bulgarian University. He composes mainly instrumental music. His piano cycle “Introduction and variants” was presented at the International Composers Rostrum in Paris (1985); in 1990 the same work took part in the Arts Festival in Brighton (UK). His works were performed (life or in radio) in Austria, Germany, Finland, Russia, USA, Canada and Hongkong. In Novembre 1999 the Culture Department at the City Council of Goettingen Organised a concert-portrait of him.

Works for symphony orchestra:
Concerto for orchestra (1986).

Chamber Music:
Reminiscence I for viola and oboe (1997);

For piano:

Toccata (1981);
Introduction and variants (1982-83);
Sonata con ritornelli (1987);
Recitativi I (1988);
Recitativi II for two tape recorders or piano and a tape recorder (1999);
Reminiscence II for piano and a tape recorder (2003);
Notturni e capriccii per pianoforte (2004);

Vocal music:

Spanish miniatures for soprano, flute, violoncello and harpsichord (1981);
Paysages for two high female voices and piano on poems by Pencho Slaveykov (1985).

For organ:
Poeme (1982).