Nayden Todorov is one of Bulgaria's leading conductors, and he currently serves as director of his country's national orchestra, the Sofia Philharmonic. He studied in Vienna and Jerusalem and has conducted major orchestras across the world. In 2018, Nayden Todorov was named for a second time 'Bulgarian Musician of the Year, becoming one of the only three Bulgarian musicians in history to be twice awarded this title.
People’s Artist Bui Cong Duy, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Academy of Music, said that the concert themed “Chopin – Rimsky – Korsakov,” featuring iconic works by two of Western classical music’s greatest composers, is one of the highlights of the 2025–2026 performance season.
Two promising young Vietnamese pianists, Nguyen Duc Kien and Luu Danh Khoi, who have achieved outstanding academic and artistic accomplishments in recent years, will participate in the concert.
The program will open with a world of refined and emotional music of Frédéric Chopin, featuring his two piano concertos — the Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11, and the Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21. Composed when Chopin was in his early twenties, these works are among the most complete expressions of his Romantic musical language.
The second part of the program will feature one of the most dazzling masterpieces of Russian nationalism, Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34 by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, a vivid fusion of rich orchestral color and Spanish folk-inspired melodies.
Led by Vietnamese-American violinist Vu Viet Chuong (Chuong Vu) and guest conductor Nayden Todorov, the concert promises to be a profound and memorable artistic journey — where classical values are elevated through the talents of rising young artists and the cohesive brilliance of a professional symphony orchestra.
Internationally acclaimed Vietnamese violinist Chuong Vu received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas, where he held a doctoral fellowship and a teaching fellowship. He is currently the artistic director of the Vietnam Connection Music Festival and the Dallas-based International Chamber Players.
