Ventsislav Blagoev was born in Blagoevgrad and is one of the most established and beloved musicians of Bulgaria. He graduated from the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” with a major in trumpet – orchestral and pedagogical profile, and then specialized in the jazz department of the Bruckner Konservatorium – Linz, Austria. He has participated in projects and performed in Austria, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Spain, etc. His many years of creative activity have brought him together with renowned musicians, representatives of the world jazz elite. Among them are Ayrto Moreira, Randy Brecker, Chico Freeman, Billy Cobham, Milcho Leviev, Mario Stanchev, Kurt Elling, Janice Harrington and their Bulgarian colleagues – Antoni Donchev, Lyubomir Denev, Milcho Leviev, Hristo Yotsov, Petar Momchev, Shibil Benev and others. Participated in the performances of the opera “Porgy and Bess” as a trumpeter at the Harlem Opera Theatre.
Since 2012 he has been a soloist – orchestrator, bandleader in the Big Band of the Bulgarian National Radio, and since 2020 he has been a trumpet teacher at the National Music School “Lyubomir Pipkov” in Sofia.
Ventsislav Blagoev is the author of the CD “Ventsislav Blagoev presents Bulgarian jazz composers”. Author of arrangements of the songs “One Potato” and “Antoinette” (composer Dara Draganova, included in a CD released by BNR and “Radiodeca”). A virtuoso musician and inspiration for teenagers, he is the artistic director, organizer and musician of the Jazz for Kids project and the Jazztet Foundation.
In 2011 and 2012 he was the organizer of “Jazz Panorama Blagoevgrad”. In 2012 he was the artistic director of the Jazz Forum Stara Zagora festival, Days of Music at Balabanov’s House – Plovdiv, Spring Children’s Jazz Concert at the Bulgarian National Radio 2013, concerts at the Teahouse, Studio 5, Summer Stage of the National Palace of Culture Art Space. He has participated in the musical theatre shows “The Seven Big Band Samurai” and “Alice in Jazzland”.
He was awarded the Golden Feather for his contribution to Bulgarian culture in 2012 with the project Jazz for Children, the ProCulture Award for young people’s access to culture in 2016, and the Crystal Lyre for Jazz in 2016.
