Conductor Alexey Izmirliev left us on June 10, 2026 after a short illness. Bulgarian musical culture lost an exceptional musician, a dedicated artist and a bright personality who dedicated his life to the art of conducting, the family announced.
Alexey Izmirliev was born in 1951. He graduated in conducting at the State Academy of Music in Sofia under Prof. Konstantin Iliev and worked with maestro Dobrin Petkov. Later, he was selected by the Ministry of Culture as the first Bulgarian scholarship holder in Germany under the German Academic Exchange Service, where he received a master's degree at the Munich University of Music in the class of Prof. Hermann Michael. He perfected his art with some of the greatest conductors of the 20th century – Sergio Celibidache, Franco Ferrara and Carlo Maria Giulini.
In 1980 he won third prize at the international conducting competition “Vittorio Gui“ in Florence – an acclaim that marked the beginning of an impressive international career. His professional path passed through the Varna and Ruse Philharmonics, the Festival Symphony Orchestra, the Bulgarian Chamber Orchestra, as well as the New Symphony Orchestra, of which he was the founder and first musical director.
He also worked in Argentina as the musical director of the Symphony Orchestra at the National University of San Juan and the Philharmonic Orchestra in Mendoza. Later he was the chief conductor of the Opera and Philharmonic Society in Ruse, the musical director of the Bulgarian Chamber Orchestra in Dobrich and the chief conductor of the State Opera – Plovdiv.
Alexey Izmirliev conducts all Bulgarian symphony orchestras and opera houses and guest performs on stages in Europe, Asia and South America. He performs in prestigious concert halls in Spain, Japan and around the world, and among the artists he works with are names such as Hans Werner Henze, Luciano Berio and Yannis Xenakis. His repertoire covers a huge range - from classical and romantic masterpieces to the music of contemporary composers.
DJ Steven's funeral will take place on June 13, Saturday, at 10:00 a.m. in the capital's church “St. Sophia”, his relatives told BTA.
DJ Steven, one of the founders of “Metropolis”, died on June 10 after a short illness.