Lieutenant Colonel Radi Radev was born in the city of Dobrich. He graduated from the “Filip Kutev” High School of Music – Kotel with a major in gadulka in 1991. He completed his higher musical education at the Academy of Music and Dance Art in Plovdiv with majors in conducting and composition in the classes of Prof. Stefan Mutafchiev and Prof. Ivan Spasov.

His musical career began at the DFA “Trakia” – Plovdiv, passed through the BNR, for whose fund he wrote about 400 works. He also works as an assistant in chamber music at AMTII – Plovdiv.

In 2004, after passing a competition, he joined the Bulgarian Army as a conductor of the military brass band of the Ninth Armored Brigade – Gornobanska. Since 2007, he has been the chief conductor of the Guards Representative Brass Orchestra, and since 2008, after passing conducting and composition competitions, he has been appointed the chief conductor of the Bulgarian Army and head of the Guards Representative Brass Orchestra.
Lieutenant Colonel Radi Radev is the winner of the following awards and scholarships from national and international competitions in conducting and composition:

• Twice winner of a year-long scholarship in the name of Filip Kutev as a student – 1989-1990 and 1990-1991;
• First prize in 2012 of the National Competition for writing a march named after Diko Iliev – march “Epiphany”;
• First prize in 2014 of the XIV International Composition Competition 7/8 for writing a piece based on motifs from Bulgarian folklore – Symphonic Variations “Kircho na Kyoshka Sideshi”;
• Third prize in 2002 at the 2nd Ivan Spasov International Composition Competition;
• Awarded with the “Golden Age” – seal of Tsar Simeon the Great – 2014 by the Ministry of Culture;
• Award holder “For Distinguished Service” – Second Order;
• Awarded the Order of “St. St. Cyril and Methodius” – first degree from the President of the Republic of Bulgaria in 2015, for services to Bulgarian musical culture;
• “Gold Coin” for contribution to the development of Bulgarian culture, awarded by the Council of the European Scientific and Cultural Community – 2017.

His works are performed by the folk music orchestra of the BNR, “Mystery of Bulgarian Voices”, ensemble “Trakiya” – Plovdiv city, “Dobrudzha” ensemble – Dobrich city, “Kapanski ensemble” – Razgrad city.
The world champion in marching-defile from the Netherlands for military brass bands “KG” performs the “Epiphany” march of Lt. Col. Radev in his main competition show program in 2014 in the USA.
He is the author of the current show-performance “Sparks” of the Guards Representative Brass Band.

Since 2008 until 2016 conducted the Music Parade show in the following cities in Germany: Köln Lanxess Arena – 19,000 spectators, Berlin o2 World – 8,000 spectators, Dresden Margon-Arena – 3,000 spectators, Frankfurt/Main Festhalle – 4,500 spectators, Erfurt Messehalle – 4,500 spectators, Hamburg o2 World Hamburg “Colour” – 17,000 spectators, Magdeburg Getec Arena – 5,000 spectators, Oberhausen König-Pilsener-Arena – 6,000 spectators, Braunschweig Volkswagen Halle – 4,500 spectators, Dortmund Westfalenhalle I – 4,000 spectators, Würzburg s.Oliver Arena – 4,000 spectators, Kempten bigBOX Allgäu – 4000 spectators, Berlin – Max-Schmelling-Halle – 6000 spectators, Leipzig Arena – 5000 spectators, Nürnberg Frankenhalle – 4000 spectators.

In 2009, he conducted the XIV International Festival of the Best Brass Bands from Around the World – St. Petersburg (Ledovaya Hall – 10,000 spectators).
In 2010, at the invitation of the Bulgarian community of Jews in Israel, in the “Frederick R. Mann and Auditorium” hall – the city of Tel Aviv in connection with the celebration of “St.St. Cyril and Methodius”, he conducts his own works with the Guards Representative Brass Orchestra and works by other Bulgarian composers. After the concert, he was personally invited to a meeting by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilus, where he was given a personal gift of important Christian value by the patriarch for the promotion of Bulgarian musical culture on the international stage.
Chief conductor of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd International Musical Parade of Military Brass Bands in Bulgaria in 2014-2016 in the Arena Armeets Hall – Sofia. A large part of the works performed at the Musical Parades are music and orchestrations by Lieutenant Colonel Radev.
Member of the Union of Bulgarian Composers.