Bulgarian marimba virtuoso Vassilena Serafimova to perform at Paris Philharmonie

Bulgarian marimba player Vassilena Serafimova will perform three concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris between May 29 and 31, appearing on one of Europe’s leading concert stages, BTA reported, citing Desislava Bineva, director of the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Paris.

Serafimova will be joined by 25 Bulgarian musicians, while a total of 60 performers are taking part in the wider project. The Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Paris is a partner and co-organiser of the event.

The concerts are part of the official 2025/2026 season programme of the Philharmonie de Paris and will be presented under the titles Variations bulgares on May 29, Éclats on May 30 and L’odyssée du marimba on May 31.

The project was first developed in 2025 after Serafimova received an invitation from the Paris Philharmonie to take part in the 2025/2026 season with a programme of her choice.

The May 29 concert, Variations bulgares, will combine traditional Bulgarian rhythms with contemporary compositions. Participants include the Vanya Moneva Choir, Balkan Est choir, French electronic musician Chloé, conductor Rémi Durupt and percussion students from Serafimova’s classes at the conservatories in Lausanne and Saint-Maur-des-Fossés.

Éclats will explore the possibilities of the marimba through two different musical settings, including a collaboration with the string ensemble Quatuor Ardeo and the project Funambules Vol. 2 alongside pianist Thomas Enhco, one of France’s best-known young jazz musicians. A public discussion with Serafimova is also scheduled before the concert at the literary café in the Cité de la musique complex.

The final programme, L’odyssée du marimba, will take place at the Museum of Music, where Serafimova and her students will present a musical dialogue between historical xylophones, marimbas and vibraphones from the museum’s collection and their modern counterparts.

Born in Pleven in 1985, Serafimova began her musical education in Bulgaria under the guidance of her father before graduating from the Conservatoire de Paris and the Juilliard School in New York. She now lives and teaches in France and has received numerous international awards.

Editor: Miglena Ivanova