Vasko Vassilev ( bg, Васко Василев, links=no; born October 14, 1970 in Sofia, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian violinist and conductor. At the age of eight he had his first public appearance and released his first record with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra. At age 10 he began his studies on a Bulgarian government grant at the Moscow ''Central Music School'', a junior department of the Moscow Conservatory. In 1987 he took a second prize at the

Marguerite Long–Jacques Thibaud Competition The Long–Thibaud–Crespin Competition is an international classical music competition for pianists, violinists and singers that has been held in France since 1943. (A Jacques Thibaud Competition was held the year before in Bordeaux: Jacques ...

. In 1989 he won a second prize (the first wasn't awarded that year) at the Paganini competition. In 1994 at the age of 23 he became the youngest ever Concertmaster of the Royal Opera House in London. In 2005 he made his

conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary duti ...

debut at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in London. He gives Masterclasses for violinists at the Royal College of Music,

Trinity College of Music Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music and dance conservatoire based in London, England. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. The conservatoire has ...

, and at the Conservatory of Music in Spain. In 2010 he wrote an autobiography ''Vasko @ 40''. In 2011 he became a judge at the reality show X Factor (Bulgaria). He worked with artists Plácido Domingo,

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

, The Rolling Stones, Vanessa-Mae, Lili Ivanova and others.Vasko Vassilev, London Chamber Orchestra
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vassilev, Vasko 1970 births Living people Bulgarian violinists Musicians from Sofia Bulgarian expatriates in England X Factor (Bulgarian TV series) 21st-century violinists