The outgoing year 2023 was a year in which the world opened up after the Covid-19 pandemic and felt the dire need of the opportunity to return to full live contact with art, culture, sports and other spheres of activity. With undisguised pride, mixed with a little sadness, we are to tell you about five of the many stories from the past year about the contribution of Bulgarians around the world for making life more beautiful, intriguing, exciting, and joyful through their work and talent. The sadness comes from the fact that our compatriots have not found the necessary conditions to develop in Bulgaria.

Virtuoso Vasko Vassilev performs at the coronation of King Charles III

The coronation of King Charles III was undoubtedly one of the events that attracted the attention of the public and the media all over the world. There was Bulgarian participation in the glamorous ceremony as the concertmaster of the special orchestra for the coronation of King Charles III was violin virtuoso Vasko Vassilev, who conquered the hearts of music lovers in this country and around the world. It is no coincidence that he is among the 12 artists designated as "Bulgarian ambassadors of culture 2023" in a campaign of the BNR. But what was the musician's path that led him to this prestigious participation?

• Violinist Vasko Vassilev: I know no country as beautiful as Bulgaria

Vasko went to his first violin lessons when he was 5 years old and soon his talent was noticed and he was often called “the child prodigy". When he was nineteen he became guest concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic. When he was twenty-one he won the title of "Super Soloist" of the Lyon Opera (France), and at the age of 23 he became the youngest and first concertmaster of the Royal Opera House in London, where he works to this day. Over the years he has worked and recorded with musicians such as Plácido Domingo, Sting, Michael Jackson, Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones, Vanessa Mae, Paco Peña and others. Vasko Vassilev has won the love of the audience in Bulgaria and abroad with his exceptional skills as a musician, with his non-standard musical projects and his charisma on stage.

Talented young composer Dobrinka Tabakova received the prestigious British Ivors Awards for classical music for her piece "Royal Fanfare". It was commissioned by The Hallé orchestra in Manchester for its youth orchestra. Its chief conductor is another Bulgarian - Delyana Lazarova. "Recognition from fellow composers is the greatest compliment and I am infinitely excited and grateful for this," Dobrinka Tabakova commented on social networks.

In 1980, when she was eleven, Plovdiv-born Dobrinka Tabakova moved to London, where she studied piano and composition. There she graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, and then participated in the master courses of the Paris, Milan, Prague and Norwegian Conservatories. Her works have been performed on stages in Bulgaria, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, USA, China, Australia and other countries.

Pianist Donka Angatscheva wins award in Austria

Pianist Donka Angatscheva, who was born in Plovdiv, was honored with Look! Business Award 2023 in the "Art and Culture" category, which are presented in Vienna. The Bulgarian was nominated as a successful European musician, mother of two children and female entrepreneur, creator of the initiative Die Kunst in Österreich lebt weiter ("Art in Austria lives on"). In March 2023, a documentary by journalist Georgi Toshev "Appassionata" was presented in Vienna, telling about the life path and successful international career of the pianist.

"She's a person who inspires people immensely, even those who are not involved in music. She makes art so accessible and close to everyone, brings people together, and maybe that's one of the roles of art that remains a bit forgotten these days," director of the film, Kaloyana Klimentova, has told BNR’s "Horizont".

Bulgarian artist and graphic designer Ivan Peev, who was born in the French capital, organized a third solo exhibition this year in Paris. The stars in the exhibit called "Human after all" were his painted characters Travis and Mina. The name of the heroine was not invented by chance. Ivan is related to Mina Todorova - beloved of the poet Peyo Yavorov, and through her name he makes a link with his Bulgarian roots. The name of Travis comes from the character of Robert De Niro - Travis Bickle, in "Taxi Driver".

The young man, who started painting alongside his passion for skateboarding and street culture, has worked for world-famous brands such as Nike, Adidas, Universal Music France, Warner Music, Spotify, Ofenbach and more. His works impress with their characteristic style, irony and fresh humor. In an interview for bTV, Ivan shared that he has plans to come and stay in Bulgaria for 6 months in the near future in order to see what it is like to work in the country.

Wrestler Ivan Ivanov Jr. becomes champion in the USA

14-year-old Bulgarian Ivan Ivanov became the new 2023 champion of USA in Greco-Roman wrestling. At the championship in the city of Farmington, Utah, the talented young man prevailed over all his rivals in the category of up to 62 kg with clear superiority, the site chicago.bg has reported. The teenager's parents are judoka Silvia Ivanova and Ivan Ivanov – world vice champion in Greco-Roman wrestling from Tampere in 1994 and inventor of the famous "Bulgarian Bag" - an indispensable assistant to competitors in various sports all over the world. We wish Ivan Ivanov Jr. to conquer more and more peaks in his career!

These were just some of the successes of the outgoing 2023, while there are hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of our compatriots scattered all over the world. May the New Year 2024 be more successful, healthy and blessed for all Bulgarians - at home and abroad!

Photos: FB / Vasko Vassilev, FB / Dobrinka Tabakova, FB / Donka Angatscheva, ivanpeev.com, chicago.bg