The Lincolnwood Chamber Orchestra performs a concert of Bulgarian and American music on Saturday, June 30, 7PM, at the Skokie Theater, 7924 N. Lincoln. Founder and Music Director Philip Simmons will conduct music of Marin Golimenov, Dimitar Nenov, John Williams and Aaron Copland. Bulgarian-American violinist Kamen Vatchev will be soloist, performing the popular “Sevdana” by composer Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin.
This concert is part of an ongoing series of cultural exchange with the Bulgarian community. For the June 30 concert seven professional Bulgarian-American musicians will perform with the 20 piece Lincolnwood Chamber Orchestra. They include soloist and guest concertmaster Kamen Vatchev (member of the Illinois Philharmonic and Northwest Indiana Symphony), long time LCO violinist Iordanka Kissiova, and Ivelin Miankov (former Principal Viola, Razgrad Philharmonic). Mr. Miankov has assisted American Music Festivals in organizing a number of successful cultural exchange programs with Bulgaria including collaborations with the Razgrad Philharmonic (2000), Dimitar Nenov International Piano Competition (2008), and the Varna International Arts Forum (2009).
American Music Festivals has worked with many ethnic communities in Chicago. In 2010 it partnered with the Bulgarian-American Heritage Center to present “A Celebration of Bulgarian Culture in Chicago” atNortheastern Illinois University. This concert event featured the LCO, piano soloist Victoria Vassilenko (Sofia), Dance Ensemble Horo, and the Bulgarian Folk Orchestra Kolorit. It was formally acknowledged by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and attended by former Bulgarian Consul General Valentin Donchev.
Sponsors for the June 30,2012 concert of Bulgarian and American music include Bulgaria Sega, Eurochicago.com, and the Bulgarian-American Heritage Center. This concert is the first ever orchestral program featuring Bulgarian classical music in Chicago, promises to bring the Bulgarian-American community together.
The Village of Skokie is renowned for its diversity, and this program celebrating Bulgarian-American friendship will be American Music Festivals debut at the Skokie Theater. It has identified the venue (just next door to Lincolnwood) as a perfect location for its cultural exchange and interdisciplinary programming.
Tickets for the upcoming June 30 Lincolnwood Chamber Orchestra concert of Bulgarian and American music are $15, and are available at the Skokie Theater Box Office, 7924 N. Lincoln ( 773-598-4545 ) or on line at www.gorillatango.com.
For more information about American Music Festivals visit www.americanmusicfestivals.com.
