Chavdar Parashkevov, violinist

Bulgarian-born violinist Chavdar Parashkevov has captivated audiences throughout Europe and the US with his sensual artistic approach, sensitivity, and virtuosic technique. Born in 1977 Mr. Parashkevov began violin studies at the age of five with Anna Kovacheva. She remained his primary teacher until he graduated with honors from the School for the Performing Arts “Dobri Hristov” in his native city of Varna in 1996.Mr. Parashkevov has been awarded a number of prizes from various Bulgarian competitions. These include: Second Prize in ”Best Performance of Bulgarian Music” – Varna 1993, First Prize in the National Competition “Svertoslav Obretenov” – Provadia 1994, Special Prize in a competition for the “Best Performance of Czech and Slovak Music” – Varna 1995, First Prize in “Young Talents Competition” – Sofia, and prize for a Bach performance in 1996.Mr. Parashkevov’s diverse career has included numerous appearances with different orchestras. He has soloed with the Varna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Festival Chamber Orchestra in Varna, as well as the Schumen Philharmonic Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra of Music School “L. Pipkov” in Sofia, Bulgaria. Throughout the years, Chavdar Parashkevov has studied with many renowned violinists, including Peter Hristoskov, Ginka Gichkova, Eduard Schmieder, Veronica Bogaertz, Thomas Hapanen, Takashi Shimizu and Nelli Shkolnikova. Mr. Parashkevov is currently working with Andrzej Grabiec at the University of Houston. Since 2002 Mr. Parashkevov has been performing as a core member of the Houston Grand Opera and first violin of the Tomatz Quartet in Houston.