Konstantin Shopov is a professional composer. He was born on 12.03.1941 in Pelishat, Pleven. From a young age he played the shepherd’s whistle, and since 1956 the kaval and bagpipe in the Severnyak Ensemble. He also played the bass flugelhorn at the men’s high school in the town. He was a teacher at the Pleven High School.
In 1966 he graduated from the theoretical department of the BMA (now the NMA “Prof. P. Vladigerov”) with a specialty in tuba, and from 1967 he studied composition under Prof. P. Vladigerov. He studied composition at the Academy of Music in 1967. In 1981 Konstantin Shopov participated in a Symposium on Compositions under Prof. Carl Orff and prof. Regner at the Mozarteum School of Music in Salzburg, Austria. In 1990 Prof. Dr. Otto Kronsteiner invited him to teach Bulgarian folklore at the Institute of Slavic Studies at the University of Salzburg.
In 1959 he founded the DYFA (Children and Youth Folklore Ensemble) under the name “Nashenchet’e” at the Pioneer Home in the town of Lviv. Pleven (now the Centre for Work with Children). He is also the founder and creator of the Orpheus DYFA in Orpheus. He was also the founder of the Orpheus DYFA in Smolyan in 1970, the first Orpheus Festival on the Smolyan Lakes (1972), the Trakiye DYFA in Smolyan. In 1974, at the “Trakifa” festival in Haskovo (1974), at the government folklore ensemble in the town of Smolyan (1974), at the “Trakifa” festival in the town of Smolyan (1974). Pravets “DYFA” (1983), the orchestra and choir of the Dance Ensemble “Rosna Kitka” in the town of. Sofia (1979), of the vocal-instrumental ensemble “Banner of Peace” in the town. He was also the founder and teacher of the Folk Music Instruments Class at the Pleven Music School “Panayot Pipkov” (1965).
In 1964, he applied to Minister Pavel Matev to establish a department of folk instruments at the music school in Pleven, and this was done on September 1, 1965. Shiroka Luka (1971). Konstantin Shopov is the first director and founder together with prof. Assen Diamandiev of the Folklore Department at the Higher Music and Pedagogical Institute (IMPI). In 1972 he was a professor at the Institute of Music and Dance in Plovdiv.
In 1981, in the 49th ECPU, thanks to the First Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Science and Education Prof. Konstantin Shopov created and received three full-time positions. All this is being done for the first time in Bulgarian primary and secondary schools. It has subsequently expanded to other primary schools in the country.
Konstantin Shopov worked in Plovdiv as a part-time teacher from 1970 to 1980, at the Music Pedagogy Faculty of the Bulgarian State Conservatory (BSC), then at the Higher Music Pedagogy Institute (VMPI) and later at the Academy of Music Dance and Fine Arts (AMTII) in Plovdiv. Plovdiv.
In 1973, he won a competition to teach folk music instruments, folk choir and folk orchestra with excellent success in front of famous professors, but was not appointed for political reasons.
Many of today’s academicians, professors and associate professors are his students at AMTII – Plovdiv. He has written many books for schools, kindergartens, higher educational institutions, etc., one of them – together with prof. Parashkev Hadzhiev, Senior Sci. Ivan Kachulov, Acad. Nikolay Kaufman, Philip Kutev, Assoc. Petar Grigorov, Stefan Kanev. Since 1959 Konstantin Shopov created the methodology for working with folk instruments and singing in various folk ensembles, music schools and IMPI in Plovdiv.
He has released many records, cassettes, CDs, multimedia and recordings. He also prints sheet music at the publishing house Schott (Mainz-London-Madrid-New York-Tokyo-Toronto).
He is a laureate of Bulgarian and international awards and festivals: first prizes for children’s music, folk music, art, symphonic, opera, operetta, chamber music, etc. etc.
At the Ninth World Youth Festival in Sofia (1968) with the Pleven Music School Orchestra and the DYFA, he won the first prize “Gold Medal” and a special prize “Golden Orpheus”. With the students of the music school in the village of. Shiroka Luka and DYFA – Smolyan won gold medals and special awards for outstanding artistic achievements at the Tenth World Youth Festival in Berlin (1973) with orchestra, choir and soloists, and also participated in the closing concert at the Berlin State Opera. At the “Joy of Europe – Belgrade” in 1978 he won a Gold Medal and a special award for DYFA – Haskovo. He won first prize with his musical “The Brave Ducks” at the Sofia Gran Prix IX 2020 and many others. etc.
In most cases, he won only anonymous competitions in Bulgaria: “Student March”, based on a test by Nayden Valchev – First Prize on the occasion of “100 years of Sofia University”; “Gruhcho writes” – audience award in Veliko Tarnovo; he won a national radio competition “Let’s sing together” and with his music in the eighties of the last century began the children’s show “Good Morning, Children” on Bulgarian National Radio; “Dobrice” – prize at the festival of professional ensembles (1974).), Blagoevgrad; with the aria of “Easy Quala Trus” he won the Prize of the Carl Orff Institute, Salzburg (1996). He wrote the Hymn of the Vineyard School (1965), and is the author of the Hymn for the City of Lviv. Pleven, the Academic March for the Students of the Sports Academy “Vasil Levski” (2022), “Giridawa” – a song for the village of Pelishat (1990), and in 2022 he wrote the Anthem for the National University of Sports in Shiroka Luka.
Konstantin Shopov created new signs and notation techniques in Bulgarian folk music for the purpose of accurate performance. They are covered in some of his books:
“Graphic Indication of Some Characteristic Techniques of Bulgarian Folk Instruments”, 1981; “Special Techniques in the Performance of Bulgarian Folk Music”, 1980;
“Bragging Rights in BNM Performance”, 2005;
“Bulgarian Folk Songs and Choirs”, 2006, 2009, 2012;
“Bulgarian Folk Songs and Choirs for Preschool and Primary School Age”, 1983;
“Music and Dance in Kindergartens, 1981, co-authored with P. Hadzhiev and P. Grigorov;
“Vocalises”, 2016 and many others.
Member of the Union of Bulgarian Composers since 1976.
Member of the Austrian Composers’ Union (ACM) since 1996.
Since 2001 Konstantin Shopov is an Austrian professor.

Musical and Performing Works
Opera
“The Star Ring” 1999.

Operetti
“Orpheus 1975.

Musicals
“Die tapferen Entlein 1997

Works for symphony orchestra
“Concerto for Flute and Orchestra”
(Concerto for kaval and orchestra) in memory of Filip Kutev 2013

Chamber Music
“Suite for wind quintet” 2003.
“Idyll for violin and piano 2014
“The Quick for tuba and piano 1967
“Song” for voice and piano 1927.
“Adagio for flute and piano 2022.

Wind music
“March” 2002.
“Severnyashko horo” 1984
“Wedding Ruchenitsa” 1985
“Suite” 1986.
“Ballad 2019.

Music and dance compositions
“Dolls” 1980.
“Right Impression” 1983.
“Rhodope Dance Composition” 1974.

Children’s songs
Over 60 songs

Processing of folk songs and choirs
Over 600 songs and choirs

Movies
“Around Pleven” – a film about ANP and dancing at the Pioneer Home directed by Kosta Naumov;
“Film about the ensemble in Pravets” directed by Laska Mincheva;
“For the Majors and Minors of the Artist” directed by Smilen Savov.

Books
1. “Graphic Indication of Some Techniques in Bulgarian Folk Instruments”, Sofia 1981.
2. “Special Techniques in BNM Performance”, Sofia 1989.
3. “Praise in the performance of BNM”, Sofia 1989.
4. “Bulgarian Folk Songs and Choirs”, Pleven 2006.
5. “Bulgarian Folk Songs and Choirs”, Pleven 2009.
6. “Claviers to the performance of Bulgarian folk songs and choirs”, Pleven 2012.
7. “Rhodope Folk Songs”, Smolyan 1972.
8. “Songs and Pieces for Folk Choir and Ensemble, Sofia 1970.
9. “Ensemble Songs for Folk Instruments”, Sofia 1972.