site.btaAustrian Ambassador Opens International Symposium on Music of Danube Countries in Varna

An International Symposium on the Music of the Danube Countries was opened on Monday by the Austrian Ambassador to Bulgaria Andrea Ikic-Böhm in the Varna City Art Gallery. 

"This event is important for us, as Austria chairs the European Strategy for the Danube Region in 2024", she said at the opening, pointing out that Austria is one of the founding countries of the Danube Strategy and that the region's stability and sustainability is a priority for the country. "Music has always had a special meaning in the Danube region, connecting the Black Forest to the Black Sea", Ikic-Böhm emphasised, adding that it was an easy decision for her team and the embassy to support the symposium, which is organized by the Varna Summer Music Festival.

She said that the festival's artistic director Mario Hosen is one of the living bridges connecting Austria and Bulgaria, developing active activities in both countries, and also noted Austrian lecturer Prof Hartmut Krones as a connecting element between the two countries, as he will participate for the fifth time in the symposium. The famous Austrian composer Prof Rainer Bischof was also among the guests of the forum. 

The ambassador recalled that the programme of the symposium, which will be performed on three evenings, will also include works by famous Bulgarian composers, as well as celebrations for the 125th anniversary of the birth of Pancho Vladigerov and the 120th anniversary of Lyubomir Pipkov.

At the entrance to the Sea Garden, an accompanying exhibition called Musical Flight over the Danube was arranged as well, showcasing the most emblematic natural corners and birds of the Danube River. It is organized in cooperation with the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds and can be seen until September 22.