Atanas Krastev

In 2012 he made his Master Degree in Prof. Anatoli Krastev’s class – National Academy of Music, Sofia. From 2011 to 2014 Krastev studied in Escuela de Música Rejna Sofia, Madrid, specializing with Prof. Natalia Shakhovskaia.

He attended masterclases with David Geringas, Frans Helmerson, Arto Noras, Natalia Gutman, Antonio Meneses, Lluis Claret, Young-Chang Cho, Tomas Carroll, Robert Cohen, Daniel Weis, Maria Kliegel, Reinhard Latzko, Thomas Demenga etc.

Currently he teaches cello at the NMA "Pancho Vladigerov" – Ph.D from 2016, assistant professor from 2016 and Chief assistant professor from 2017. From 2001 to 2015, Atanas Krastev won 16 First and Special Prizes at national and international competitions (Bulgaria, Austria, Czech Republic, Serbia, Spain), including: Award for Chamber Music in Madrid (bestowed

by Queen Sofia), the International Competition for cellists "Liezen" (Austria, 2014), International Competition "Jeunesses musicale", Belgrade (Serbia, 2015). He was awarded the Diploma and Award of the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture, the Title of the Academy of Young Talents, the Golden Muse Award for the performance of Russian music, and the Crystal Lyre of the UBMD (2007 and 2012).

Atanas Krastev has performed in Austria, Brazil, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Greece, Serbia, Slovakia, Russia, and at all important Bulgarian stages and festivals. Since 2002, he is a member of the ‘Cellissimo’ cello еnsemble with Anatoli Krastev and Kalina Krusteva. Atanas Krastev has performed over 40 concerts as a soloist of Bulgarian

and foreign orchestras. His repertoire includes works from the Baroque to contemporary music. He has taken part in numerous concerts filmed live

by the Bulgarian National TV, Nova TV, the Belgrade National TV, TV Globo (Brazil), in music documentaries and studio recordings at the Bulgarian National Radio, etc.; DVD by BsB, CD with the ‘Sofia Soloists’ Chamber Orchestra and Plamen Djouroff, CD with “Oscar Esplá de Asisa” piano trio etc. He made edits for the violoncello parts in J. Krushev’s transcriptions of works by Mendelssohn, Grieg and Rachmaninoff (ed. "Musica").