Simo Lazarov
From Unearthing The Music
Simo Lazarov is Bulgaria's first composer, performer and promoter of electronic music.
He took several specialized courses throughout his career, including electronic and computer music at the Academy of Music in Prague (1974-78), the Studio for Electronic Music in Bratislava (1977-79) and the IRCAM in Paris (1979-82). In 1991 the Technical University in Sofia awarded him a Ph.D. degree for his thesis Composing and Performing Computer Music By Using Personal Computers. In 1992 he specialised at the Lancing University of Michigan (USA) and in 1999 at the International Electroacoustic Institute in Bourges (France).
He founded and directed the first Bulgarian studio for Electronic music at the Bulgarian National Radio (1973 - 1999). He taught at the State Academy of Music (1977-88), the Technical University (1983-99), the New Bulgarian University (since 1996) where he currently is lecturer in Computer Systems and Technologies in Music, and also at Sofia University (since 1996) where he was promoted Associate Professor in 1999. Concurrently, he taught at the summer courses organised by the University of Ann Arbor (USA) (1997), at the summer courses of the Lancing University of Michigan (since 1998) and at the University of Tel Aviv (Israel) (since 1998). He created his own school of Computer Composing.
Over the years Simo Lazarov has performed more than 2000 concerts. In recent years he has organized open-air concerts which are synthesis of the various arts, attracting large audiences for his contemporary music. He was co-initiator of the Festival for Electro-Acoustic, Electronic and Computer Music and of the multimedia forum Computer Space. In 1999 he created the international forum The World of Computer Music, held in different countries.
Simo Lazarov has released 9 LP, 30 CD's, more than 80 soundtracks and 9 books. For 30th year Anniversary of first Bulgarian Electronic Music Studio a 30 CDs Anthology of his music was released. He has received many prizes and in 1995 was named Bulgarian Musician of the Year. He is a member of Bulgarian and Israeli Composers League and SEAH Czech Electro-Acoustic Composers.
In 2008 Simo Lazarov was named "Artist of the Year" of National Culture Center.