European festivals Association

Established 1926 in the Bulgarian sea capital, aiming to present high standards of the world’s musical heritage, today the festival is still a prestigious forum of classical music in the Black Sea region and the Balkans. The festival is organized by the Municipality of Varna with the broad support of the Ministry of Culture, public organizations and cultural institutions from Bulgaria and Europe. The forum is held during the summer in various venues – from the historic buildings of the Opera Theatre and City Art Gallery, to the modern halls in the Festival and Congress Centre and the extremely picturesque Open-air Theatre located among beautiful verdure in the Sea Garden. Respecting the tradition, Varna Summer International Music Festival has been enriching its image with new forms close to the modern perception of music. Thus the oldest Bulgarian music festival builds bridges between generations and styles. The festival events feature both Bulgarian and foreign world renowned artists, as well as new emerging talents. This is a welcome first scene of the most recent works by Bulgarian composers. Recently the festival programme has been structured in thematic modules such as Symphonic and Chamber music, Opera and Ballet in the Open-air Theatre, Summer Academy, Varna Music Lab, Baroque and Renaissance, Crossover projects. The festival is awarded the EFFE label for 2015/2016.