For travelers with plans to visit Bulgaria, the Varna Summer International Music Festival kicks off today. This is the 85th anniversary of this, Bulgaria’s and one of Europe’s biggest music events. The internationally acclaimed event is a world performing arts and classical music extravaganza no visitor to the area should miss.

A wide array of genres will be represented at this year’s festival including; opera, symphony concerts, chamber and choral music, cross-over projects, thematic series, as well as the International Summer Academy. Regional and world renown performers and performances from soloists, conductors, symphony and chamber orchestras, choirs, opera ensembles, and ballet companies will be presented. Organized and presented by the city of Varna and the Ministry of Culture, the festival runs from today until 28 July.

Among the most noted attendees are; The Academic Maly Drama Theatre – Leningrad, the National Academic Theater for Opera and Ballet – Odessa, Ballet of the Hungarian Opera, Ballet Company of Komische Oper-Berlin, Bolshoi Theatre – Moscow, Piccola Scala-Milano, Gyorgy Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Royal Swedish Ballet, and the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, among the dozens more.

Today’s program will include the Symphony Orchestra of the Varna State Opera, conducted by Rosen Milanov, with soloist Lyudmil Angelov on piano. Tomorrow enthusiasts can enjoy the Varna Music Gallery with Lora Marinova performing on cello and Dimitar Nakov on piano.

For more information on the upcoming performances for the festival, please consult the official Varna Summer Fest 2011  schedule here.

German violinist Sophia Jaffe to perform July 5th – Image courtesy Varna SummerFest