Vladimir Pantchev graduated from the State Academy of Music in 1972 majoring in Piano under Professor Luba Encheva, Composition under Professor Pancho Vladigerov, Professor Alexander Tanev, Professor Vassil Kazandjiev and Professor Konstantin Iliev, and Conducting under Professor Konstantin Iliev. He worked consecutively as chorus master at the Sofia Opera (1970-78) and editor at the Musica Publishing House (1974-78). He also taught Chamber Music at the State Academy of Music (1987-91).

Since 1991 he has lived and worked in Vienna. In 1992 he was appointed editor at the publishing company Universal Edition and accompanist at the Conservatoire of Vienna (1992-93). Since 1995 he has led a composition class as part of the Summer Academy in Lilienfeld, as well as a master class of piano accompaniment in Sankt Gallen (Switwerland).

He composed stage music; orchestral and chamber music; a number of choral songs and cycles, etc. His compositional style was influenced by serial and atonal techniques. After 1991 most of his works were commissioned by well-established contemporary music ensembles such as the Klangforum Wien, the Music On Line Ensemble or the Wiener Collage Ensemble. The monody, characteristic of his music, takes its origin from rhythms and tunes of the old Bulgarian traditional music. It is combined with an original transformation of the sound material. His works were prize-winning at the choral music competition in Llangollen (second prize, 1979) and the symphony music competition in Trieste (third prize, 1983). They were performed in Salzburg, Vienna, Sofia, Lisbon, Moscow, Halle, Cologne, Oslo and Budapest.

He is a member of the union of Austrian composers OKB, Wiener Collage Ensemble, etc.

Stage music:
Operas:

Turmoil after the play by Yordan Radichkov (1979);
Mud after the story by Elin Pelin (1983);
House with a Terrace after Anton Chekhov (1986).

Children’s ballet: The Flowers of Little Ida after Andersen (1982).

Cantatas and oratorios:
Fire and Light – cantata for mezzo-soprano and piano after poems by A. Boucher (1974); Proto-Bulgarian Visions – oratorio for two readers, strings, brass and mixed choir;
Moon Songs – cantata for soprano, flute, viola, harp and piano after Japanese verses (1982);
Instants – cantata for soprano and 10 instrumentalists (1990);
Petar Danov’s Songs (The New Adam Is Born) – cantata for two female voices and 19 instrumentalists based on Bible texts (1993).

Works for symphony orchestra:
Five symphony pictures (1974);
In Memoriam (1982);
Ten concert pieces (1982).

Concertos:

flute (1981);
bassoon (1988);
clarinet (1990).

Works for chamber orchestra:
Poem for violoncello and chamber orchestra (1982).

Chamber Music:
Encounter for string orchestra and percussion (1991);
Games for four clarinets and one clarinettist (1994);
String sextet for two violins, two violas and two violoncellos (1995);
Hommage by Denisov (1997);
Vienna Waltz for three quintets (1997);
Piano Quintet “In Memory of Franz Schubert” (1997).

Quartet – cycle of 16 quartets (1998, 1999, 2000);
Impulses I for clarinet, piano and percussion (1981);
Impulses II for three quartets (1981).
Trio for flute, violin and violoncello (1991);
Trio in three parts for flute, bassoon and oboe.

Partita for two violins (1977);
Sonata for clarinet and piano (1972);
Appeals for bass-clarinet and piano (1972);
A Game – six pieces for violoncello and piano (1974);
Dialogues for flute and cembalo;
Images for flute and piano;
Little Studies for oboe and clarinet (2000);
Little Studies for trumpet and orchestra (2001);
Concerto for trumpet and ensemble (2001);
Concert piece for double bass and ensemble (2001).
Moods for solo flute (1975);

Krishna Playing for solo flute and ensemble (also in a version for soprano, flute and piano, 2002).

Vocal music:
Two Songs for soprano and piano (1971, 1990);
Eight Romances for tenor and piano (1985);
Tunes for mezzo-soprano, recorder, clarinet, piano and brass (1990);
Four Songs for bass and piano, on poems by Baudelaire;
To the Gull – little poem for soprano and viola d’amore (1996).