Svet Stoyanov

Praised by the New York Times for his "understated but unmistakable virtuosity," along with a "winning combination of gentleness and fluidity," Svet Stoyanov is a driving force in modern percussion. He has performed more than 1,000 recitals and has presented over 200 masterclasses worldwide.

Winner of the prestigious Concert Artists Guild International Competition, Stoyanov has also been presented with the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Award. His career highlights feature solo concerto appearances with the Chicago, Seattle, and the American Symphony Orchestras, as well as solo performances at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Taiwan National Concert Hall, among many others worldwide. Conductors with whom he has performed include James Conlon, Gerard Schwarz, Oliver Knussen, Marin Alsop, and Pierre Boulez.

Stoyanov has recorded for numerous labels, featuring Telarc, Naxos, and Bridge Records. His recent albums Percussive Counterpoint and Textures and Threads were broadcast internationally and applauded for their artistic integrity, virtuosic ingenuity, and excellent quality. Stoyanov's upcoming recording projects feature an original concept audio-visual album and a record celebrating the music of his native country, Bulgaria.

A passionate advocate for contemporary music, Stoyanov has commissioned a significant body of solo and chamber works. Most recently, American Rome Prize winner Andy Akiho completed a work for Stoyanov and his Time Travelers Percussion Project, called Pillar IV. The work was recently premiered to great acclaim at New York's National Sawdust.

A significant recent collaboration of Stoyanov is the commission of Sideman, a percussion concerto written for him by the composer and musical mastermind Mason Bates. The concerto was already performed in Miami and at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. This season, Stoyanov will perform the piece again in Miami, Kansas City, and Baltimore. Stoyanov also recently recorded the concerto for an upcoming release.

Alongside his diverse performance career, Stoyanov is an associate professor and Director of Percussion Studies at The Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where he has collaboratively built a most unique and innovative modern percussion program.

Stoyanov endorses some of the finest percussion instruments and products today, namely Adams, Remo, Zildjian, Pearl, and Pro Mark. His artistic mission is committed to the purity, quality, and virtue of music.