Zhivko Vasilev

Zhivko Vassilev is one of the most popular kaval players in Bulgaria. He is well known to the public both in Bulgaria and in Europe for his constant experiments and the search for new, unexplored paths in music. Thanks to his experimental spirit, he began to combine the traditional sound of the kaval with various popular styles such as jazz, funk, Latin jazz, pop, electronic music and more. which results in a hitherto unknown symbiosis and play of styles. This leads to the formation of the unique style with which we associate Zhivko Vassilev. Zhivko is not only a composer and instrumentalist, but also a flute teacher, both for beginners and advanced.
The young musician was born in the town of Smolyan, in the heart of the Rhodopes. He inherited his love of music from his father and began his flute training at Dobri Hristov National School in Varna, Bulgaria. He graduated from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski ”, majoring in flute. He is currently a student at Codarts, one of the most prestigious universities in the Netherlands. He has participated in numerous concerts around the world, working with many world musicians such as Max Moya, Xuxa Levi, Juan Garcia Herreros, Roberto Quintero, Christiane Karam, Angel Zaberski, Stoyan Yankulov, Teddy Katsarova, Silvia Katsarova, Kalin Velov and Hector Martignon. He is also the leader of his own project – Zhivko Vasilev Trio – Authentic, with which he mixes Bulgarian folklore with modern Western trends. In 2020, he became part of the world-famous Arifa group. Zhivko is a regular participant in the most prestigious jazz festivals around the world. His art attracts audiences in Argentina, the Netherlands, China, Britain, Germany, Slovakia, Turkey and Africa.