Violinist Vasko Vassilev is a musician who has become vastly popular among fans of a variety of music genres. He is the youngest concertmaster in the history of the Royal Opera House in London. When he joined the Covent Garden orchestra he was 20. Vasko plays an Amati violin and its sound is being enriched electronically.

There is at least one foremost teacher behind every successful musician. In Vasko Vassilev's case these are a few. At the beginning he had informal schooling in his family of musicians. At age 10 he was given a state scholarship to study in Moscow, at the Central Music College of the Moscow Conservatory.

"At first I had a great violin teacher at the Music School in Sofia, Trendafil Milanov. After that my father, a violinist himself, continued with my training. I was a private pupil, so my grandmothers taught me Bulgarian language and biology. My mother, a pianist, provided piano accompaniment to my performances until I turned 20. So, my family has been invaluable in my training. I am very grateful to the famous violinist Dina Schneidermann. She gave me the first chance to give a big concert at Bulgaria Hall in Sofia - with her and her wonderful orchestra. The first years in Moscow were dedicated to playing the violin and learning, to the assembly of a vehicle that should operate like a super car. Well, let's face it, there are aspects of technique in music where fluency is a must. At age 16 I moved to London and met with great musicians whom I learned from. In fact, I go on doing this every day.”

While in Moscow, Vasko won a few prestigious competitions: Jacques Thibaud in Paris, Carl Flesh in London and Paganini in Italy. He leads the Laureate Orchestra lined up with musicians from Covent Garden.

Vasko Vassilev's projects with Laureate, Vanessa Mae and others are accepted as unconventional for a musician with his biography. However, they are loved by a wider audience of fans, and also by die-hard fans of classical music. Apart from concertmaster he is also Creative Producer of the Royal Opera House

"My job is to think of unconventional ideas. And I believe they are well received. We have to look at classical music from a new angle; otherwise our art may get fossilized. I am currently engaged in 5 to 6 new projects. We have just finished a major tour with the Cinema Concertos program -130 concerts with film music. I am working on a big project based on Johann Sebastian Bach. I would say that Covent Garden is like my family. This house has accepted Boris Christoff, Ghena Dimitrova and Svetla Vassileva. I am happy to represent Bulgarian talent here. It is a great honor for me to work for so many years for this reputed institution, a stage for the world's greatest stars of music.”

What is Bulgaria's place in Vasko Vassilev's heart?  

"To me Bulgaria is everything. It's all about roots. I have relatives in Sofia, Northern Bulgaria and the Rhodope Mountains. The first thing I imagine is nature. I know no country as beautiful as Bulgaria. What is the first thing I do when I arrive to Bulgaria? I buy boza to brink, and banichka to eat, a Bulgarian cheese pie. As to projects with Bulgarian musicians, they are many. I have just recorded a CD with Svetla Vassileva for the Bulgarian National Radio - Neapolitan songs. I have always dreamt of being on stage with the Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices Choir and I have had such a project. I have worked with pop diva Lili Ivanova, and it was a great honor. I believe that life is beautiful, because I have a job that is the source of joy and pleasure to people. I am grateful to have been born so lucky.”

English Daniela Konstantinova

The audio file contains the following works:

1. A fragment from Concerto for violin and orchestra by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, with the Sofia Symphony Orchestra, conductor Oliver Gilmour

2. Laureate Orchestra with Third Movement from the Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi

3. A fragment from Concerto for violin and orchestra by Brahms, First Movement, with the Sofia Symphony Orchestra, conductor Oliver Gilmour

4. Laureate Orchestra and the composition Shark