It takes a lot of courage to follow your path as a musician, but that is not always enough. Especially if you have obstacles in front of you that you are not able to overcome on your own. That is why the people for whom your dream turns into a personal cause become very important in your life. There are such stories in life and here’s one of them - the story of Tomas Tomov. To study classical singing was his biggest dream – second to folk music which he has been performing since early childhood. Born in the town of Dupnitsa and being raised in the Roma neighborhood, he did not even imagine that he could receive specialized education and professional support. To get in his way of being an artist, he is helped by people who embrace his dream as their own. Today, Tomas is a student at the Prof. Pancho Vladigerov National Music Academy. He is 23 years old, likes different styles of music, but has chosen "serious music" as his preferred genre.

“This is what happens when you have musicians in both your parents’ families. There's no way I can get away from that”, says Tomas with a smile. “So I can say that “music chose me”. I have the gift, I am already a student at the Music Academy, all I have to do is move forward. My father used to travel abroad and whenever he returned I would start rummaging into his bag. There I used to find many jazz and classical CDs performed by popular musicians. I would listen zealously to them and somehow got hooked. In primary school, my teacher heard me sing along the hallways and decided to give me to sing a stanza from Andrea Bocelli's "Vivo per lei". I didn't even know I had the gift of opera singing. Then I studied folk singing for four years in Kyustendil.”

As a young man, Tomas dreams of "flying high," but admits he has a lot to learn:

“I want to get to the heart of music - Italy. But I dream of realizing myself in Bulgaria, to hear more that young people are engaged in classical singing. I want to make my own songs and videos here, too. But it seems to me that in some countries classical music is appreciated more than here. I love my loved ones and I will miss their support if my professional development continues abroad”.

A few days ago, the young artist earned the applause of the audience and the jury with his passionate voice at the Balkan Romanciada Festival and Contest He shares that he strongly believes in success and is grateful to the people who have shown him that anything is possible once you have that "sparkle in your eyes." Among them is Ludmila Zhivkova and her foundation entitled Student Society for the Development of Interethnic Dialogue. As well as the Trust for Social Alternative Foundation, which Ognyan Isaev, Director of the Educational Opportunities and Achievements Program, tells more about:

“The main objective of the Trust for Social Achievement (founded in 2012 by the America for Bulgaria Foundation) is to assist people from economically vulnerable social groups in terms of education, job market placement and the normalization of their lifestyles. The Foundation has four major programs. The one I represent supports several organizations to achieve strategic goals focused on inclusive education. Tomas Tomov is one of many young people to whom the Trust for Social Achievement lends a hand”.

The support he receives empowers Tomas to overcome the artistic and life difficulties he encountered after 2014, when he won the television show Bulgaria’s Got Talent:

“The interest in me continued for two years. Do you know how things happened with me? I was broadcast on television, I fell asleep and on the next morning there were about fifteen journalists willing to interview me. I had been dreaming about it for a little while, but obviously I wasn't ready... The noise gradually subsided and then for a period of three years I closed myself to the outside world. But now I dream again of professional growth, creative success, joint projects with people of art. Where do I see myself in five years’ time? I hope in a place where I will feel loved by the audience, with my own career, enjoying the popularity. My wish to be famous may sound banal, but I dream about it. Of course, I want me and my family to be healthy, happy and as united as we have always been.”

English Rossitsa Petcova