The highlight of the 42nd Apollonia Festival of Arts was the strong audience response to its programme and Bulgarian culture, Apollonia Foundation Executive Director Margarita Dimitrova told BTA on Monday.
The festival took place in Sozopol between August 27 and September 6, featuring music, theatre, cinema, literature and visual arts over 11 days. Despite a difficult financial and organizational year, attendance was strong, with five or six events taking place each evening, Dimitrova said.
She singled out the September 2 concert by the Apollonia Concertmasters, the opening concert by Nina Nikolina and the participation of the Kazanlak Art Gallery. More than 600 people visited the exhibition of Ivan Milev’s painting Ahinora during its one-day presentation in Sozopol.
Dimitrova also talked about the festival’s long-standing practice of bringing together young and established artists. She said many leading Bulgarian musicians, particularly in jazz, had first appeared at Apollonia as students, while in recent years the festival has strengthened its cooperation with students from Bulgaria’s leading art academies, “the country’s future stars”.
She stressed that the continued participation of the country’s major academic arts institutions is important for Apollonia’s story to continue.
Maintaining the festival’s high artistic standard remains its main challenge, Dimitrova said, adding that she makes no compromises in selecting participating artists and events.
She also highlighted Apollonia’s distinctive character as a meeting place for different arts and artists, as well as the atmosphere of Sozopol and the opportunity for audiences to meet performers in person. “All year round, I visit potential venues, whether concert halls, theatres or exhibition spaces, because I want our programme to be of the highest possible standard.”
She noted Apollonia’s distinctive character as a meeting place for different arts and artists, as well as the atmosphere of Sozopol and the opportunity for audiences to meet performers in person.
Preparations for the 43rd Apollonia have already begun. Among the events agreed so far is a masterclass by pianist Ludmil Angelov for young pianists, along with a performance by visual artist and singer-songwriter Ivo Dimchev and plans for chamber concerts and theatre events.
Dimitrova thanked BTA for its coverage of the festival, calling the news agency the “closest witness” to what takes place in Sozopol.
The Apollonia Festival of Arts has been held since 1984. It is organized by the Apollonia Foundation, established in 1991. Every year, the festival’s venues in Sozopol attract hundreds of artists and thousands of art lovers from Bulgaria and around the world.
BTA is a media partner of the festival and took part in its The Price of Success series on September 1, presenting the 12 issues of BTA’s LIK magazine published since the previous edition of Apollonia.
