Born 1946 – Sofia city
Prof. Alexander Kuyumdzhiev is founder, of the Sredets Chamber Choir (since 1973), founder and artistic director of the festivals Sofia Summer (1995-2003) and Old European Music (1997-2003), managing director of the Bulgarian Chamber Music Agency (1995-2003) and professor on conductorship, church music and choir at the South-Western University Neophit of Rila in Blagoevgrad.
He is a laureate of national and international choir competitions, prize-winner of awards for high achievements in the choir performance and Honor charter for high artistic performance from the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture (1989). He has realized concert tours and participated in many international festivals, including such for religious music in most European countries (Italy, Belgium, Poland, Germany, France, Аustria, Ukraine, Hungary, Chech, Slovakia, Greece, Serbia, Маcedonia, Russia, etc.) China. Also he has released many Radio recordings, LPs, CDs, video and TV movies in Bulgaria, England, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Poland and former Jugoslavia.
Alexandar Kuyumdzhiev has a considerable contribution to first performance and popularization of unique works of the Byzantine, old Bulgarian and old Russian Orthodox Music (from the 12th to the 17th century), to first performance in Bulgaria of masterpieces of European Renaissance, Baroque and Classics, to finding out of unknown choir works by Bulgarian composers from the 19th and the 20th centuries and their publication.
Prof. Alexandar Kuyumdzhiev is author of the book The Theory and Practice of the Work with a Choir – University Publishing House “Neophit of Rila”, Blagoevgrad (2010), and published several chant collections: Songs for Youth Choirs (a collection for teaching) – State publishing house „Мusic”, Sofia (1983), From the Bulgarian Choir Classics, a collection of songs – State publishing house „Music”, Sofia (1989) and Anthology The Year in Songs (School Songs from Bulgarian Musical Heritage from 1878 to 1944), vol. 1 (2008) and vol. 2 (2009) – University Publishing House „Neophit of Rila”, Blagoevgrad as compiler and editor.
