Emil Tschakarow

Emil Tchakarov (Bulgarian: Емил Чакъров; 29 June 1948 – 4 August 1991) was a Bulgarian conductor active in both the concert hall and the opera house. He was associated with Herbert von Karajan early in his career, served as chief conductor of the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, and conducted at major opera houses and concert venues in Europe and North America.

He founded the Sofia Festival Orchestra in 1986 and recorded a series of Russian operas for CBS Records and Sony Classical with Bulgarian and international singers. His name is associated with the Burgas Music Festival "Emil Tchakarov", organized by the State Opera – Burgas.

Early life and education Tchakarov was born in Burgas, Bulgaria, on 29 June 1948.

In the 1989–1990 season he became guest conductor of the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he made several recordings and concert tours. He returned to the Met for The Barber of Seville in the 1982–1983 season and for Boris Godunov in 1990.

In 1979 he also conducted Eugene Onegin at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Other operatic engagements included Simon Boccanegra in Nice in 1985, Tosca in Nice in 1987, Boris Godunov at Houston Grand Opera in 1986, and Aida at the opening of Houston Grand Opera's first season in the Wortham Center in 1987. In 1983 he conducted Tannhäuser at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.

He was also associated with productions at La Scala, San Carlo Theatre in Naples, La Fenice in Venice and other opera houses.

Sofia Festival Orchestra and recordings In 1986 Tchakarov founded the Sofia Festival Orchestra with the support of prominent Bulgarian musicians.

His concert activity included performances with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic and Leningrad Philharmonic. He died in Paris on 4 August 1991, at the age of 43. The festival is a major summer cultural event in Burgas and includes opera, ballet, symphonic concerts, popular music projects and productions for children.

The 2018 documentary film Last Concert by Georgi Toshev focused on Tchakarov's artistic path, international career and final years.

+ Recipients of the Emil Tchakarov Award Year Recipient 2011 Mincho Minchev 2012 Rumen Tsonev 2013 Alexander Tekeliev 2014 Nayden Todorov 2015 Dimitar Ivanov 2016 Georgi Spasov 2017 Dimitar Momchilov 2018 Kamen Chanev 2019 Grigor Palikarov 2020 Ivaylo Krinchev 2021 Not awarded 2022 Kiril Manolov 2023 Mario Nikolov 2024 Edelina Kaneva 2025 Kostadin Andreev

Selected discography Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Concerto in C, WoO 5, fragment; Romance No. 1 in G major, Op. 40; Gidon Kremer, violin; London Symphony Orchestra. Deutsche Grammophon, recorded 1978. Felix Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto; Augustin Dumay, violin; London Symphony Orchestra. EMI France, recorded 1988. Treasures of the Baroque Era; works by Albinoni/Giazotto, Johann Sebastian Bach, Luigi Boccherini, George Frideric Handel, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Giuseppe Torelli, Benedetto Marcello and Antonio Vivaldi; National Iranian Radio and Television Chamber Orchestra. EMI, recorded 1978 in Tehran.

Film Tchakarov was the conductor for Maurice Béjart's 1981 television film Six personnages en quête d'un chanteur, starring Ruggero Raimondi.