Adrian Pavlov was born on July 12, 1979 in Sofia.

He made his first compositional attempts between 1994 and 1996 as a student at the “Lyubomir Pipkov” National Music School under the direction of Prof. Alexander Raichev. From 1998 to 2011 Pavlov studied at the “Hanns Eisler” High Music School in Berlin (piano under prof. Georg Sava, composition under prof. Hanspeter Kyburz and orchestral conducting under prof. Hans-Dieter Baum). In 2003, he participated in a composition course by Henri Pussier, and in 2016 – in a master class in conducting contemporary music by Peter Rundel.

Pavlov won first prize in the 2nd National Piano Duo Competition in Sofia (1998) and five first prizes for interpretation of contemporary music in the Hanns Eisler Competition in Berlin (2000, 2001, 2004, 2009 and 2010, last two times as conductor). Many premieres of works by contemporary composers have been performed under his baton.

Pavlov’s works have been performed in concerts and at various festivals of contemporary music in Austria (Festival “Wien Modern” 2003), Bulgaria, Germany (Festival “Musik im XXI. Jahrhundert” Saarbrucken 2004, Festival “Next Generation” Karlsruhe 2005, Biennale “Zeitfenster” Berlin 2006), Holland (International Gaudeamus Music Week Amsterdam 2004 and 2005), Romania, Sweden (ISCM World New Music Days 2009), Switzerland and the United States and were awarded during the 1st, 2nd and 4th editions of the “Prof. Ivan Spassov” International Composition Competition in Plovdiv.

Pavlov’s conducting activities include concerts with orchestras such as Brandenburg Symphony, Brandenburg Youth Philharmonic, Konzerthausorchester Berlin and with contemporary music ensembles such as Adapter (Berlin), Zafraan (Berlin), Remix (Porto), Meitar ( Tel Aviv).

From 2011 to 2019, Pavlov was an accompanist and conductor in various German opera houses, and from 2021 he worked as a part-time teacher of conducting and reading scores at the “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” University of Music – Leipzig.

Stage works:
Daphne/Approach attempts – chamber opera, libretto by Adrian Pavlov after Ovid and Martin Opitz (2005-06).

Cyclic vocal-instrumental and vocal-symphonic works:
The Book of Voices for mezzo-soprano, alto flute, cello and ten mixed voices in two groups after Peyo Yavorov, Danila Stoyanova, Kiril Merdshanski and Ezra Pound (2007-08);
“Оpus tectorium: The Place” for 12 female voices and orchestra, lyrics by Kiril Vassilev (2017).

For symphony orchestra:
…of time and water… for large spatial orchestra (2000-01/15); Générique for large orchestra (2003);
Cascades for violin and small orchestra (2004-05);
“Anamorphic sculpture (Anton Webern, IX.1930)” for large orchestra (2019);
“Panégyrique” for large orchestra (2020).
“…per-I-petuum mobile… – Anamorphic Sculpture II (Alban Berg, c. 1913)” for large symphony orchestra (2022-23).

For chamber orchestra:
Berceuse II for string quartet and string orchestra (2011).

Chamber Music:
For ensembles:
Prologues (String quartet No.1) for amplified string quartet with soprano voice after Stanka Pencheva (1999-2001, new revised version 2009/10);
Harmonies (Omaggio a Luciano Berio) for nine instrumentalists (2002);
Aura for clarinet, violin and celesta (2002);
hell & dunkel I for clarinet/bass clarinet and marimbaphone (2003);
hell & dunkel II (Lobgesang) for clarinet/piccolo clarinet and percussion (2007);
Chorals for celesta and 12 violins (2008-09);
String quartet No.2 “Textes retrouvés” (2010-13).
Echoes for two violas (2022);
Anamorphic Sculpture III (Eisler Carousel, c. 1931) for Nine Instrumentalists (2022).

For solo instruments:
Verseau for soprano saxophone (2001, rev. 2005/06);
Charabia for viola (2006);
Reflections (Improvisation after Yavorov II) for cello (2008, No.3 from The Book of Voices);
Sonata breve (Les escaliers énigmatiques) for organ (2009);
Palimpsest (A) for bass flute (2009-10).

For piano:
Feux d´artifice pour G.S. – Etude I (2004);
D E A – Etude II (2015);
“Koan” – Etude III (2015/17).

Vocal music:
Three miniatures for soprano voice, alto flute and guitar after Vesna Parun (2000/12); Réciproque for female voice with percussion and live electronics after Christian Morgenstern and Evariste Gallois (2004-05);
Improvisation after Yavorov I for mezzo-soprano voice and alto flute (2008, No.1 from The Book of Voices);
…pour chaque jour for soprano, violin and piano after René Char (2009);
Triology I: Evening Songs for mezzo-soprano and piano after Langston Hughes (2009); Trilogy II: A shadow among the livings / Alive among shadows – five songs after Kiril Vassilev for mezzo-soprano and piano (2011);
“Atelier” – diptych for soprano and piano, lyrics by Atanas Dalchev and Vladimir Bashev (2017-19);
“Into silence” for soprano (mezzo-soprano) and piano, lyrics by Atso Shopov (2020);
“Diary of metamorphoses” for soprano, clarinet/bass-clarinet and viola, lyrics by Paul-Heinz Dittrich (2021).

Choral music:
Berceuse I for 15 mixed voices in two groups and two percussionists (2006);
Rain for ten mixed voices in two groups after Danila Stoyanova (2007-08, No.2 from The Book of Voices);
“Until necessary” – triptych-symphony for 40 mixed voices, lyrics by Nikolay Kanchev (2019).

Other works:
“Gnomon” (A) – acoustic transcription of electronic musical material by Stefan Goldmann for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (2017).