LONDON – Bulgarian violinist Vasko Vassilev will be concertmaster at the coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6, Vassilev's team reported.
The Coronation Orchestra will comprise members of many UK orchestras. Sir Antonio Pappano has been confirmed as conductor.
"I am privileged and honoured to receive this invitation and to be a part of this historic event," Vassilev said. "The king has for years supported musicians in the UK, including us at the Royal Opera House, and therefore I take the job with great responsibility, excitement and pleasure."
The exact line-up of the Coronation Orchestra and the setlist remain to be determined.
Vasko Vassilev was born in Sofia in 1970. Having taken his first violin lessons at the age of five, in 1980 he was sent by the Bulgarian government to further his education at the Central School of Music of the Moscow Conservatory.
In 1988, he settled in London as the youngest post-graduate at the Guildhall School of Music. Since the age of 19, he has frequently appeared as guest concertmaster of top London orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
At 23, Vassilev became the youngest leader and first ever concertmaster of the Royal Opera House in London, where he continues to work.
He holds the position of Creative Producer of the Royal Opera House. He is also Artistic Director of the Covent Garden Soloists and the London Chamber Orchestra and tours variously with both groups as soloist and conductor.
Over the years, Vassilev has worked with many musicians of other disciplines and styles, including Placido Domingo, Sting, Ronnie Wood, Vanessa-Mae, Paco Pena, and Erasure.
Aged only 19 when he began to mentor the training and brilliant career of Vanessa-Mae, Vassilev now conducts Masterclasses for Violinists at the Royal College of Music and Trinity College of Music in London and Castellon Conservatory of Music of Spain, and he is Visiting Professor at the latter two institutions.
Vassilev will tour Bulgaria in late May. The tour schedule includes 14 dates. (BTA)
