Balgarianovinite.com Young Bulgarian violinist Viktor Vasilev has won the right to use a rare 18th-century master instrument following a highly competitive international selection organized by the Swiss Instrument Fund (SIF). “It is an exceptional honor for me to get to know and build a connection with this incredible instrument,” Vasilev told BTA April 27.
He explained that he went through a preliminary selection, followed by a live audition among candidates competing for one of 12 violins provided by various luthier workshops and private collectors, and was ultimately chosen as the recipient of one of them.
As a result, Vasilev will perform for the next two years on a violin crafted by Ferdinand Gagliano in Naples around 1770. The instrument is provided by the London-based workshop Florian Leonhard – Fine Violins and ranks among high-class historical instruments with a collector’s value estimated in the hundreds of thousands of euros.
Violins made by the Gagliano family, active in the 18th century, are highly valued for their masterful craftsmanship and distinctive sound.
“It was an immense joy for me to learn that I would have the opportunity to play such a remarkable instrument,” Viktor Vasilev told BTA. “Beyond its incredible sound qualities, it also carries historical value. Every time I touch it, I imagine how many musicians have played it and how much energy and emotion it has soaked,” he added.
In 2024, Vasilev was also granted the use for two years of an instrument made by renowned luthier Stefan-Peter Greiner, provided by the organization Youth Classics – SIMA.
The Swiss Instrument Fund supports talented musicians aged 12 to 30 who live or study in Switzerland, by granting them free access to high-quality instruments and acting as an intermediary between instrument owners and performers.
Viktor Vasilev is a laureate of numerous international competitions, including Tibor Junior in Switzerland, Grumiaux in Belgium, Postacchini in Italy, Kocian in the Czech Republic, and B. Warchal in Slovakia, as well as many national distinctions in Bulgaria. Born on April 20, 2007, he is currently a second-year undergraduate student at the Lausanne University of Music in the class of Prof. Svetlana Makarova. His long-time teachers in Bulgaria include Darina Dankova and Professor Mario Hossen. Young Bulgarian Violinist Viktor Vasilev Wins Rare 18th-Century Gagliano Instrument After International Competition 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-04-28 11:58:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law