is an internationally recognized cellist of Bulgarian nationality. He started to learn the cello at the age of 12 and, having won a scholarship, continued his training at the Moscow Conservatory where he studied under Sviatoslav Knushevitsky and Mstislav Rostropovich from 1961 to 1966. He became a prize-winner in many competitions, including Geneva, Florence and Vienna. In 1966, as a finalist he won a medal in the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Cello. At the same time as the Tchaikovsky competition, he was also awarded a prize from the Union of Soviet Composers for his performance of Russian music.
From 1971 to 1975 he taught at Boston University and he was Head of the cello department of New England Conservatory. From 1977 to date, he has lived in the United Kingdom, where he still is a professor of cello at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He performs regularly and leads cello masterclasses at music festivals and in state conservatoires throughout the world.
