Beverly Hills concert showcases Bulgarian classical music for May 24

“Pearls of Bulgarian Chamber Music”, a concert dedicated to May 24, is being organised in Beverly Hills by the Bulgarian Classical Concerts-Los Angeles foundation.The event at the Beverly Hills showroom of Steinway Piano Galleries of Beverly Hills and Pasadena is scheduled for May 28 and is a joint appearance by two major Bulgarian initiatives: Bulgarian Classical Concerts-Los Angeles and Bulgarian Concert Evenings in New York.

Violinist Blagomira Lipari came up with the idea of partnering with Bulgarian musicians from New York and invited her colleagues, pianist Lora Tchekoratova and violinist Georgi Valtchev.

“This is an extremely important concert for Bulgaria and for Bulgarian music. I believe that the Steinway Piano Gallery in Beverly Hills, where the concert will take place, is showing enormous respect for Bulgarian composers, classical music and talent. We are a strong team of composers and performers, and we are excited to present some of the best Bulgarian talent at Steinway. Laura and Georgi are long-time colleagues and friends, while Penka Kouneva is my partner here at Bulgarian Classical Concerts – Los Angeles. The idea was to connect the two organisations and establish future collaborations with exceptionally talented and highly respected musicians from New York,” Lipari told Radio Bulgaria.

For the first time in the history of the Steinway Gallery, a one-hour programme dedicated entirely to Bulgarian music will be presented on its stage. The performers will include American violist Ariana Solotoff.

Lora Chekoratova and Georgi Valchev will be performing in Los Angeles for the first time, and Lipari expressed her particular delight at reuniting with them, as she has known them since their time at the Music School in Sofia.

The May 28 event in Beverly Hills will conclude with the piano quintet Stone Trail by Grammy-nominated Bulgarian composer Dobrinka Tabakova. The programme will also feature works by Grammy-winning composer Penka Kouneva, alongside a composition by Bulgarian composer and video game music producer Borislav Slavov, winner of the prestigious BAFTA award. Combining classical and contemporary works, the programme also features music by Panayot Pipkov, Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin, Dimitar Nenov and Milcho Leviev.

Penka Kouneva is currently composing a new quintet, which has been commissioned by Laura Chekoratova and the organisers of the Off the Beaten Path chamber music festival in Kovachevitsa, a village in the Western Rhodope Mountains. The world premiere of the new work is scheduled for the festival's opening on 31 July 2026.

According to Lipari, the May 28 concert in Beverly Hills marks the beginning of what she hopes will become a lasting collaboration between Bulgarian musicians working in New York and Los Angeles.

"It really is part of my vision as an organiser to connect Bulgarian talents from different places. There are exceptionally talented Bulgarian musicians in New York, and the original idea behind Bulgarian Classical Concerts in Los Angeles was to collaborate on innovative projects and demonstrate the uniqueness of our compositions, melodies, rhythms and motifs. Our music is highly regarded by foreigners and Americans alike. This concert at Steinway is extremely prestigious. The venue is being provided free of charge because they recognised the quality of the project. I hope it will open more doors for Bulgarian classical music in the United States and help us continue our mission of showing the world our cultural richness,” said Lipari.

Of the May 28 programme, Lipari says she finds all the works highly interesting, though she feels a special connection to the music of Penka Kouneva.

“I know her personally — she is someone with a very rich soul. I am especially looking forward to performing Looking Up, the Grammy-winning piece from the album Women Warriors: The Voices of Change. It is an exceptionally beautiful composition which she arranged for violin and piano, and we will perform it together. For me, it is the lyrical centre of the programme.

I am also very excited about the solo piano compositions by Penka Kouneva and Dimitar Nenov, which will be performed by Lora, an exceptionally fine pianist. Milcho Leviev’s sonata for violin and piano with jazz elements is interesting and beautiful too. Milcho Leviev himself lived in Los Angeles, so there is a special connection to him and his work. Everything is beautiful. It is difficult for me to choose a favourite.”

The distinguished Bulgarian violinist also shared a special 24 May message with Radio Bulgaria's diverse, multilingual audience:

“First of all, I wish everyone good health! Much success to all! I hope that people will visit Bulgaria, discover its beauty and culture, learn more about our country, and come to love it. 

Love Bulgaria and the Bulgarian spirit! When we are away from our homeland, we realise how important our spirituality and traditions are, and how much humanity, beauty, depth and richness of soul they embody.”

Editor: E. Karkalanova