site.btaMarch 4, 1929: Academic Symphony Orchestra, Precursor of Sofia Philharmonic, Gives First Concert

On March 4, 1929, the Academic Symphony Orchestra - now known as the Sofia Philharmonic - held its first concert under the baton of Prof. Sasha Popov.

Founded in 1928 at the initiative of Prof. Popov, the orchestra emerged from a small student ensemble at the State Music Academy. In 1936, it was incorporated into the Ministry of War and renamed the Military Symphony Orchestra, later becoming the Royal Military Symphony Orchestra. On May 1, 1938, the ensemble was officially designated as an independent military unit under the direct command of the Minister of War.

Following the communist coup d'etat on September 9, 1944, the orchestra was transferred to the newly established Ministry of Information and Arts, adopting the name State Symphony Orchestra under the Directorate of Broadcasting. In 1947, it became an independent institution under the name Bulgarian National Philharmonic, and in 1949, it was officially recognized as the Sofia State Philharmonic.

With a government decree issued in January 1983, the ensemble was renamed the Sofia Philharmonic. Another decree, enacted on July 11, 1994, granted it the status of a state cultural institution of national significance.