History
The International May Choir Competition was established in 1975. In 1982 the competition was named after the famous Bulgarian composer Georgi Dimitrov – the founder of the modern Bulgarian choir school. Since1989 the International May Choir Competition has been a member of the Organizing Committee of the European Choral Grand Prix Competition, which is held in Arezzo (Italy) Debrecen (Hungary), Tours (France), Maribor (Slovenia), Varna (Bulgaria ) and Tolosa (Spain).
The six aforesaid choral competitions are among the most prestigious in Europe and they have won recognition thanks to there longstanding traditions, good organization and high artistic level. The competition is held annually in accordance with the Regulations, which are updated for each edition and adopted by the Municipal Council. The contest has the following main objectives:
– Promotion of Bulgarian choral art and vocal works. In accordance with the Regulations one compulsory Bulgarian song for each category is included in the competitive programme. There is also a special prize for best performance of Bulgarian song by a foreign choir.
– Promotion of European choral heritage from different epochs and styles among children and young people.
– Exchange of scores, exchange of information, contacts between Bulgarian and foreign conductors, singers and choral figures.
– Acquaintance of foreign participants with the rich Bulgarian culture, hospitality and natural landmarks of Bulgaria.
Award Winners
Holder Of Varna 2017 by categories
Varna 2017 Grand Prix
The Stockholms Musikgymnasium Chamber Choir (Stockholm, Sweden),
Conductor: Helene Stureborg
Men’s and Women’s choirs
1st prize – not awarded
Mixed choirs
1st prize – The Stockholms Musikgymnasium Chamber choir
Chamber choirs
1st prize – “Fortissimo” Vocal Ensamble, Burgas, Bulgaria
Conductor: Milena Dobreva
Prof. Marin Chonev prize for best conductor
Jurģis Cābulis , conductor , Carnikava’s chamber choir Vēja balss
Special prize awarded by Petko Gruev Staynov foundation for best performance of Bulgarian song by a foreign choir
Carnikava’s chamber choir Vēja balss for the Bulgarian song “Svetliat dazht” from the composer Milko Kolarov
Special prize for a song from the Bulgarian composer Ivan Spasov
Capella Ad Libitum Bas, Sofia, Bulgaria
Conductor: Dr. Maria Valchanova
Special prize awarded by the Bulgarian choral union for choir with brightest creative achievement of the Competition
“Fortissimo” Vocal Ensamble, Burgas, Bulgaria
Conductor: Milena Dobreva
Holder Of Varna 2016 by categories
Varna 2016 Grand Prix
Mixed choir of the Latvian Academy of Culture “Sola”, Riga, Latvia
Conductor: Kaspars Adamsons
Men’s and Women’s choirs
1st prize – Ensemble Vocapella Limburg, Raubach, Germany
Conductor: Tristan Meister
Mixed choirs
1st prize – Mixed choir of the Latvian Academy of Culture “Sola”, Riga, Latvia
Conductor: Kaspars Adamsons
1st prize – The Archipelago Singers, Jakarta, Indonesia
Conductor: Ega O. Azarya
Chamber choirs
Kaamos Chamber Choir, Helsinki, Finland
Conductor: Dani Juris
Prof. Marin Chonev prize for best conductor
Ensemble Vocapella Limburg, Raubach, Germany
Conductor: Tristan Meister
Special prize awarded by Petko Gruev Staynov foundation for best performance of Bulgarian song by a foreign choir
Mixed choir of the Latvian Academy of Culture “Sola”, Riga, Latvia
Conductor: Kaspars Adamsons
For the song “Slance barza” from the composer Aleksandar Tanev
Special prize awarded by the Bulgarian choral union for choir with brightest creative achievement of the Competition
Choir Musicanova – Rome, Italy
Conductor: Fabrizio Barchi
Special prize for a song from the Bulgarian composer Ivan Spasov
Wakayama Children’s Choir
Conductor: Haruhiko Numamaru
Holder Of Varna 2015 by categories
Varna 2015 Grand Prix
UT Insieme Vocale-Consonante – Santa Firmina, Italy
Men’s and Women’s choirs
1st prize – Batavia Madrigal Singers – Jakarta, Indonesia
Conductor: Avip Priatna
Mixed choirs
Harlanda Kammarkor – Goteborg, Sweden
Conductor: David Molin
Chamber choirs
UT Insieme Vocale-Consonante – Santa Firmina, Italy
Conductor: Lorenzo Donati
Prof. Marin Chonev prize for best conductor
Choir Alabrea – Sofia, Bulgaria
Conductor: Atanaska Popova
Special prize awarded by Petko Gruev
Staynov foundation for best performance of Bulgarian song by a foreign choir
Harlanda Kammarkor – Goteborg, Sweden
Conductor: David Molin for the song “Izgreyalo yasno slance” from the composer Petko Staynov
Special prize awarded by the Union of Bulgarian Music and Dance figures for the best young conductor
Choir Lautitia Gyermekkar – Debrecen, Hungary
Conductor: Jozef Nemes
Special prize for a song from the Bulgarian composer Ivan Spasov
UT Insieme Vocale-Consonante – Santa Firmina, Italy
Conductor: Lorenzo Donati
Holder Of Varna 2014 by categories
Varna 2014 Grand Prix
Choir Cantores Amicitiae – Iasi, Romania
Conductor: Nicolae Gisca
Women’s and men’s choirs
1st prize – Vocal ensemble Brevis – Osijek, Croatia
Conductor: Antoaneta Radocaj-Jerkovic
Mixed choirs
1st prize – Bogazici Jazz Choir – Istanbul, Turkey
Conductor: Masis Aram Gozbek
Youth choirs
1st prize – not awarded
Prof. Marin Chonev prize for best conductor
Chamber Choir Collegium Musicum Berlin – Berlin, Germany,
Conductor Donka Miteva,
Special prize awarded by Petko Gruev Staynov foundation for best performance of bulgarian song by a foreign choir
Vocal ensemble Brevis – Osijek, Croatia,
Conductor: Antoaneta Radocaj-Jerkovic for the song – Vytarat i momcheto (Wind and the Boy) by the composer Konstantin Iliev
Special prize by the Union of Bulgarian Music and Dance figures for the best young conductor
Bogazici Jazz Choir – Istanbul, Turkey
Conductor: Masis Aram Gozbek
Holder Of Varna 2012 by categories
Varna 2012 Grand Prix
Batavia Madrigal Singers – Jakarta, Indonesia
Conductor: Avip Priatna
Chamber Choirs:
l-st prize – not awarded
Mixed Choirs:
l-st prize – Batavia Madrigal Singers – Jakarta, Indonesia
Conductor: Avip Priatna
Youth Choirs:
l-st prize – Lautitia Choir – Debrecen, Hungary
Conductor: Jozsef Nemes
A special prize for the conductor performance
Batavia Madrigal Singers – Jakarta, Indonesia
Conductor: Avip Priatna
A prize from Petko Stainov Fondation
for performance of Bulgarian song
Crescendo Choir – Krivoy Rog, Ukraine
Conductor: Victoria Sergeeva
Special prize from Union Of Bulgarian Musician and Dancers for the best conductor performance at the competition
Cantemus Choir – Chisinau, Moldova
Conductor: Denis Ceausov
Holder Of Varna 2011 by categories
Varna 2011 Grand Prix
ATENEO DE MANILA COLLEGE GLEE CLUB – Quezon city, Phillipines,
Conductor: Maria Lourdes V. Hermo
Women’s And Men’s Choirs
PRIMORSKI AKADEMSKI ZBOR VINKO VODOPIVEC Ljubljana, Slovenia,
Conductor: Primoz Malavasic
Chamber Choirs
1-st prize – not awarded
Mixed Choirs
ATENEO DE MANILA COLLEGE GLEE CLUB – Quezon city, Phillipines,
Conductor: Maria Lourdes V. Hermo
Boys’ and girls’ choirs up to 18 years old
1-st prize – not awarded
A special prize for conductor performance
WLADYSLAW PACHOTA,
Conductor of the Girl’s Choir Puellae Orantes – Tarnow, Poland
A prize from Petko Stainov Fondation for performance of Bulgarian song
Bulgarian song Zvezdi from Emil Tabakov Kiev Glier College Chamber Choir Kiev, Ukraine
Conductor: Zoya Tomson
Special Prize for performance of a song by the Bulgarian composer Ivan Spasov – awarded by Ivan Spasov Foundation
For performance of the song Begala Rada, Rado le Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club – Quezon city, Phillipines,
Conductor: Maria Lourdes V. Hermo
Special prize from Union Of Bulgarian Musicians And Dancers for the best conductor performance at the competition
MARIA BULAT – Conductor
GIRL’S CHOIR OF AKHREMCHIK ART COLLEGE, Minsk, Belarus
Holder Of Varna 2010 by categories
Varna 2010 Grand Prix
Mixed Choir CITTA Dl ROMA, Roma, Italy Conductor:
Mauro Marchetti
Mixed choirs:
Mixed Choir CITTA Dl ROMA, Roma, Italy Conductor:
Mauro Marchetti
Women’s and men’s choirs:
1-st Prize not awarded
Chamber choirs:
Mixed Choir CITTA Dl ROMA, Roma, Italy Conductor:
Mauro Marchetti
Boys’ and girls’ choirs up to IB years old
1-st Prize not awarded
A special prize for conductor performance
Mauro Marchetti Conductor of the Mixed Choir
CITTA Dl ROMA, Roma, Italy
A prize from Petko Stainov Fondation for
performance of Bulgarian song
Bulgarian song Bialo utro, from Alexander Tekeliev
Mixed Choir CITTA Dl ROMA,
Roma, Italy
Conductor: Mauro Marchetti
Holder Of Varna 2009 by categories
Varna 2009 Grand Prix
SALESKI AKADEMSKI PEVSKI ZBOR – Velenje, Slovenia,
Conductor: Danica Pirecnik
Mixed choirs:
SALESKI AKADEMSKI PEVSKI ZBOR – Velenje, Slovenia,
Conductor: Danica Pirecnik
Women’s and men’s choirs:
1-st Prize not awarded
Chamber choirs:
1-st Prize – Chamber choir ANTIPHONA – Maracaibo,
Venezuela, Conductor: A. Garrido
Boys’ and girls’ choirs up to IB years old
1-st Prize – Children choir CANTICA – Zlin, Czech Republic,
Conductor: Josef Surovik
A special prize for conductor performance
Danica Pirecnik, Coductor of SALESKI AKADEMSKI
PEVSKI ZBOR – Velenje, Slovenia
A prize from Petko Stainov Fondation for
performance of Bulgarian song
Bulgarian song Gaydar, from Svetoslav Obretenov
Children choir CANTEMUS,
Chisinau, Moldova
Holder Of Varna 2008 by categories
Varna 2008 Grand Prix
Mixed Choir AKADEMSKI PEVSKI ZBOR UNIVERZE NA PRIMORSKEM (APZ UP), Koper / Slovenia, flupuaeHm
Ambroz Copi
Mixed choirs:
Mixed choir Akademski Pevski Zbor Univerze Na Primorskem (APZ UP), Koper / Slovenia,
Conductor: Ambroz Copi
Non-mixed choirs:
1-st Prize not awarded
Chamber Ensembles:
1-st Prize not awarded
A special prize for conductor performance
Krechko Natalia Mihailovna, Conductor of Mixed choir ANIMA Kiev, Ukraine
A special prize for the best performance of a Bulgarian song by a forcing choir Bulgarian song „Do Utre”,
Akademski Pevski Zbor Univerze Na Primorskem (APZ UP), Koper, Slovenia,
Conductor: Ambroz Copi
Holder Of Varna 2007 by categories
Varna 2007 Grand Prix
APZ Tone Tomsic, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Conductor: Ursa Lah
Mixed choirs:
APZ Tone Tomsic, Ljubljana, Slovenia Conductor:
Ursa Lah
Non-mixed choirs:
1-st Prize not awarded
Children choirs:
1-st Prize not awarded
Chamber ensembles:
1-st Prize not awarded
A special prize for conductor performance
APZ Tone Tomsic, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Conductor: Ursa Lah
A special prize for the best performance of a Bulgarian song by a foreing choir
Mixed Choir Youth Choir Balsis, Riga, Latvia
Conductor: Inta Teterovski
A prize form Petko Stainov Fondation for performance of Bulgarian song
Lefe Yano Men’s Choir Gavriil Muzicescu, Chisinau, Moldova
Conductor: Emilia Moraru
Children’s choirs:
1-st Prize not awarded
Chamber choirs:
Women’s Chamber Ensemble – Taegu, South Korea,
Conductor: Jay-Joon Lee
Holder Of Varna 2005 by categories
Varna 2005 Grand Prix
Allmanna Sangen, Sweden
Holder of Varna 2005 Grand Prix:
University Youth Choir Bilkent – Ankara, Turkey
Conductor: Elena Pushkova
Mixed Choir:
University Youth Choir Bilkent – Ankara, Turkey
Conductor: Elena Pushkova
Non-mixed Choirs:
Women’s Choir Puellae – Pecs, Hungary
Conductor: Valer Jobaggy
Children’s Choirs:
1-st Prize not awarded
Chamber Choirs:
Women’s Choir Puellae – Pecs, Hungary
Conductor: Valer Jobaggy
Holder Of Varna 2003 by categories
Varna 2003 Grand Prix
Chamber choir of San Antonio Collage,Walnut, California,
USA, conductor Bruce Rogers
Mixed Choirs:
Chamber choir of San Antonio Collage, Walnut, California, USA,
Conductor: Bruce Rogers
Non-mixed Choirs:
Women’s choir Renaissansce, Kishinau, Moldova,
Conductor: Oksana Philip
Children Choirs:
Children choir Vesna, Moskow, Russia,
Conductor: Aleksander Ponomarev
Chamber Ensembles:
Chamber choir of San Antonio Collage, Walnut, California USA,
Conductor: Bruce Rogers
Holder Of Varna 2001 by categories
Varna 2001 Grand Prix
Academic Choir Tone Tomcich – Lyublyana, Slovenia,
Conductor: Stoyan Kuret
Mixed choirs:
Academic Choir Tone Tomcich – Lyublyana, Slovenia,
Conductor: Stoyan Kuret
Non-mixed choirs:
Women’s Choir – Taegu, South Korea,
Conductor: Jay-Joon Lee
Children’s choirs:
1-st Prize not awarded
Chamber choirs:
Women’s Chamber Ensemble – Taegu, South Korea,
Conductor: Jay-Joon Lee
Holder Of Varna 1999 by categories
Varna 1999 Grand Prix
Within the framework of the 25 th International May Choir Competitionfor the second time in Varna is held The European Grand Prix
Holder of Grand Prix Europe
Vocal Ensemble – Lind, Sweden,
Conductor: Ingemar Masson
Holder of Varna’93 Grand Prix:
The USC Chamber Choir, Los Angeles,South California The USA,
Conductor: William Dehning
Mixed choirs:
The USC Chamber Choir, Los Angeles, South California The USA,
Conductor: William Dehning
Non-mixed choirs:
The Ankor Choir – Jerusalem, Israel,
Conductor: Dafna Ben-Yohanan
Children’s choirs:
Vdahnovenie Concert Choir at the Children’s music
Shcool N 106 – Moscow, Russia, coductor Olga Skvorcova
Holder Of Varna 1997 by categories
Varna 1997 Grand Prix
University of Mississippi – Oxford, USA
Conductor: Jerry Jordan
Mixed choirs:
University of Mississippi – Oxford, USA
Conductor: Jerry Jordan
Non-mixed choirs:
Women’s Choir Renaissance – Kishinev, Moldova
Conductor: Teodor Zgurianu
Children’s choirs:
Sofia Boy’s Choir – Sofia, Bulgaria,
Conductor: Adriana Blagoeva
Children’s Choir Vesnyanka – Moscow, Russia
Conductor: Lyubov Aldakova
Chamber choirs:
Chamber Choit of University of Mississippi – Oxford, USA
Conductor: Jerry Jordan
Vocal Group Olisipo – Lisbon, portugal,
Conductor: Armando Possante
Holder Of Varna 1995 by categories
Varna 1995 Grand Prix
The Academic Choir – Vinitsa, Ukraine,
Conductor: Vitali Gazinski
Mixed choirs:
The Academic Choir – Vinitsa, Ukraine,
Conductor: Vitali Gazinski
Non-Mixed choirs:
1-st Prize not awarded
Children’s choirs:
Polyot – Zhoukovski, Russia,
Conductor: Tatiana Selishteva
Chamber choirs:
1-st Prize not awarded
Within the framework of the 23d International May Choir Competition for the first time in Varna is held The European Grand Prix
Holder of Grand Prix Europe’93:
Mixed Chamber Choir Jauna Musika – Vilnius, Lithuania,
Conductor: Vaclovas Augustinas and Romas skapas
Holder of Varna ’93 Grand Prix:
Vidrozhdenia Chamber Choir – Kiev, Ukraine
Conductor: Mstislav Yurchenko
Mixed choirs:
Podlipki Academic Choir – Kaliningrad, Russia, conductor
Boris Tolochkov
Non-mixed choirs:
1-st Prize not awarded
Children’s choirs:
1-st Prize not awarded
Chamber choirs:
Vidrozhdenia Chamber Choir – Kiev, Ukraine
Holder Of Varna 1981 by categories
Mixed choirs:
Georgi Kirkov Representative Mixed Choir – Sofia,
Bulgaria, conductor Samuel Vidas
Men’s choirs:
Men’s Choir – Vilnius, Lithuania, conductor Vitautas
Mishkinis
Children’s choirs:
Iskra Children’s Choir – Kazanlak, Bulgaria, conductor
Petya Pavlovich
Chamber choirs:
Women’s Chamber Choir at the Higher Institute for
Music Education – Plovdiv, Bulgaria, conductor Krikor
Chetinyan
Holder Of Varna 1979 by categories
Mixed choirs:
Rodna Pesen Mixed Choir – Burgas, Bulgaria,
Conductor: Stoyan Kralev
Men’s choirs:
Kavai People’s Choir – Sofia, Bulgaria,
Conductor: Mihail Milkov
Children’s choirs:
Bodra smiana Representative Children’s Choir, Sofia, Bulgaria,
Conductor: Liliyana Bocheva
Chamber choirs:
Lyubomir Pipkov Sofia Chamber Choir – Sofia, Bulgaria,
Conductor: Vasil Arnaudov
Holder Of Varna 1977 by categories
Mixed choirs:
Mixed Choir at the Medical Academy – Gdansk, Poland,
Conductor: Irineusz Lukaszewski
Men’s choirs:
Emanuil Manoiov Men’s Choir – Gabrovo, Bulgaria,
Conductor: Christo Arishtirov
Women’s choirs:
Not awarded Children’s choirs:
Children’s Choir – Dobrich, Bulgaria,
Conductor: Zahari Mednikarov
Chamber choirs:
Penio Penev Chamber Capella – House of Culture of Bulgarian Workers – Sofia, Bulgaria,
Conductor: Ivelin Dimitrov
Holder Of Varna 1975 by categories
Mixed choirs:
Morski zvutsi Choir – Varna, Bulgaria, conductor Marin Chonev Mixed Choir of Students and Young Men and Women – Moscow, Russia, conductor Boris Tevlin
Men’s choirs:
Sofia Men’s Choir – Sofia, Bulgaria,
Conductor: Valentin Bobevski
Women’s choirs:
Christina Morfova Women’s Choir – Sofia, Bulgaria,
Conductor: Lilia Gyuleva
Children’s choirs:
Children’s Choir at the Committee for TV and Radio Sofia, Bulgaria,
Conductor: Christo Nedialkov Children’s Choir – Maribor, Yugoslavia,