Conductor Svetoslav Borisov on a musician's energy, passion and love

Bulgarian conductor Svetoslav Borisov has spent more than two decades working mainly in Germany and Austria. In 2023, he was nominated for Opernwelt's Conductor of the Year award for conducting Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos at Theater Magdeburg. His repertoire spans works by Mozart, Donizetti, Rossini, Verdi, Puccini, Gounod, Humperdinck, Wagner, Richard Strauss and Prokofiev. He has conducted orchestras and opera companies across Europe, as well as in Israel, China and Türkiye, and has appeared at international festivals.

Borisov's musical path began with the piano. He later studied trumpet at the Dobri Hristov National School of Arts in Varna before graduating from the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (KUG). In 2007, he founded the chamber orchestra Con fuoco. From 2009 to 2013, he was principal conductor of the Schönbrunn Chamber Orchestra in Vienna.

He won competitions in 2013 to become principal conductor of the Varna State Opera and conductor of the Bochum Symphony Orchestra. He continues to collaborate with both institutions and is a regular guest conductor at the Varna State Opera. Among his recent productions in Varna was Gounod's Faust, staged in 2025 by director Vera Nemirova. On 7 July 2026, as part of the Opera in the Summer Theatre Festival, the Varna Opera premiered Wagner Gala, a production featuring excerpts from Die Walküre, directed by Nemirova and conducted by Borisov.

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"It was a historic moment for Varna," Borisov says. "I'm still on such a high because everything went so well. It's such a great feeling when you realise the orchestra, the soloists and the audience are all feeling the same thing. And to think that, at the beginning, there were quite a few question marks. I'd even say there was some scepticism. People were wondering what would happen, whether it would work. But in the end, honestly, I'm not exaggerating, people were happy."

For Borisov, the Varna Opera holds a special place. As a schoolboy, he played the trumpet in productions of Aida and Otello. At the time, he could never have imagined that one day he would stand on the conductor's podium of the same theatre, where his father had spent many years as a trumpet player.

"The Varna Opera gave me my first opportunity as a young conductor after I graduated in Austria. I was just finding my feet then, working freelance on different projects. They invited me to conduct a concert, then an opera. That's how it all started, and our collaboration has grown ever since. Even though I spend most of my time in Germany, it's always a pleasure to come back to Varna. I can honestly say the artists here are given the freedom to work and to bring their ideas to life. The productions Vera and I create together offer a different aesthetic, a different way of looking at things, both for the audience and for the musicians and artists in Varna. I think that enriches everyone."

Early in his career, Bulgarian critics began referring to Svetoslav Borisov's "German manner" on the podium – characterised by precision, elegance, an ability to sustain dramatic tension and a deeply musical approach that brings the stage and the orchestra together.

Borisov first conducted Wagner in his second season at Theater Magdeburg, with The Flying Dutchman, directed by Vera Nemirova.

"Our paths crossed in Graz when I was still a student and Vera was directing Fidelio. Then we didn't see each other for many years until fate brought us together again in Magdeburg, where we worked on The Flying Dutchman. Sonya (Vera's mother) was still alive then and was there helping us, so we really were a close-knit Bulgarian team. Afterwards we brought the production to Varna. Theater Magdeburg donated the sets and costumes to the Varna Opera, and we staged it here. So Die Walküre is actually only my second Wagner."

His next Wagner project will be Wagner's Ring Cycle in Dessau.

How does he see the German-speaking musical world today, having trained and built his career there?

"It's incredibly diverse," he says. Germany has the world's largest network of theatres, making it a magnet for musicians from across the globe. "It's the Mecca of our art. People from all over the world come there looking for opportunities, and we all learn from one another. We work together, exchange ideas and experience, meet, talk, perform together and guest-conduct in different places. Just because I'm based at one theatre doesn't mean I only work there. The exchange is constant. Yes, I studied in Austria, but working in so many places with people from so many different countries changes the way you see the world. It makes all those boundaries we tend to create disappear."

Borisov says he is always happy to find fellow Bulgarians in the orchestras he conducts.

"You know, it's a wonderful feeling. In a way, it reassures you that you're not alone, especially when you're conducting somewhere for the first time. They're happy too, and before long you're having wonderful conversations that often grow into friendships. Of course, there's always a touch of nostalgia. But every Bulgarian musician I've met has travelled the same road. They've worked incredibly hard to prove themselves, earn recognition and become part of a German or Western European orchestra. We've all integrated to the point where we feel at home wherever we are. We know why we're there, we're able to make music at the highest level, and every new collaboration with musicians from around the world enriches us. That's something I really value."

His message to Radio Bulgaria's audience is simple:

"Above all, I wish everyone good health. And as for Bulgaria and the arts here, anyone who hasn't been should come. I can promise they'll be pleasantly surprised by what they find. The people who have chosen to devote their lives to art in Bulgaria have stayed true to that calling despite all the difficulties they face. It was a conscious choice, and they give everything they have to bring joy to their audiences."

Editor: Desislava Semkovska