JULY 1-14, 2024
APPLICATION DEADLINE
FEBRUARY 1st
Symphonic Music and Wine Tour - Bulgaria
July 4-10, 2024
Explore one of the most exciting wine regions of the world as you learn how orchestral music comes together.
Brought to you by the Friends of the Sofia Symphonic Summit (SSS), a non-profit that supports emerging musicians.
Enjoy orchestral music, wine, sightseeing, food, and amazing company in Bulgaria, with
exclusive behind-the-scenes visit to some of the most exciting wine estates in the
Thracian Valley. All while supporting a new generation of talented musicians, as every
ticket includes a donation to the Friends of SSS group!
Our guide, composer and Court of Masters Certified Sommelier Theo Popov, DipWSET, specializes in cross-modal interactions – the way our senses influence each other – using groundbreaking research to design multisensory concerts, where each piece of music is paired with the perfect wine that complements it. Theo Popov will lead wine tastings and food excursions around Bulgaria’s two biggest cities, sharing the best his native country has to offer.
All participants will have exclusive access to activities held by the Sofia Symphonic Summit:
closed-to-the-public rehearsals of both audience favorites and brand new works written for
the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, concerts in the historical Bulgaria Hall, as well as a
private chamber music performance with a specifically curated wine tasting.
Please contact us if you have any questions:
info@sofiasymphonicsummit.com
Theo Popov, Our sommelier
Originally from Sofia, Bulgaria, Theo Popov is an award-winning composer of opera, theater, film and concert music. His interest in wine was sparked by the parallels he observed between our senses of smell, taste and hearing, as well as the realization that wine tasting – just like music composition – is both methodical and creative. Theo has fifteen years of experience in the music and wine industries and hopes to lead the charge in establishing wine and music pairing standards through his company Vine Opera. He has obtained the coveted Wine Spirits and Education Trust Level (WSET) Diploma in Wine and is a Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers.
Costs and Schedule
Tickets give access to all activities listed below, including hotel rooms, meals, and transportation inside Bulgaria.
Cost: $6,750 per person, double occupancy
All tickets include a donation to the Friends of SSS group!
CLICK HERE FOR OUR RESERVATION FORM
SCHEDULE
4 • Sofia Arrival
5 • Sofia Exclusive rehearsal with the Sophia Philharmonic Orchestra, walking tour of the Sofia City Center, and visit to the Sofia History Museum. Lunch and dinner at local restaurants. Evening: Welcome cocktail and a Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra concert with works by Mozart and Beethoven.
6 • Plovdiv Plovdiv - wine tasting and food with Theo Popov. We’ll be exploring the renowned Thracian Valley PDO, then peel over two thousand years of history in the 2019 European Capital of Culture, Plovdiv. A walking tour of the city will show its multiple layers, from the Roman stadium buried under the Ottoman-era main street to the ancient amphitheater perched on a hill within medieval buildings and overlooking the expansive cityscape. Lunch and dinner at local restaurants.
7 • Plovdiv/ Koprivshtitsa Breakfast at the hotel, followed by return to Sofia. Lunch at Koprivshtitsa, an idyllic mountain town. Evening: chamber music and wine tasting with Theo Popov and Sofia Symphonic Summit (SSS) participants and faculty, followed by a chamber music concert.
8 • Sofia Morning: tour of Ancient and Medieval Sofia. Lunch. Afternoon: visit to the National Archeological Museum. Evening: fundraising event and Friends of SSS official dinner.
9 • Sofia Breakfast at the hotel followed by another exclusive rehearsal with the Sophia Philharmonic Orchestra and meeting with Dr. Diogo Carvalho, SSS Artistic Director. Lunch at the Raketa Rakia, an iconic soviet inspired restaurant. Afternoon: tour of Communist-era Sofia and visit to the Museum of Socialist Art. Evening: our second Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra concert, now with world premieres of new works by international composers, exclusively written for the festival.
10 • Sofia Departure