Welcome Message from the Director of the International Jazz Festival ‘Dr. Emil Iliev’

The international Jazz festival “Dr. Emil Iliev” is being held for the third year in its new home – the mountain resort complex Borovets, with the hospitality and financial support of the municipality of Samokov. The musical jazz forum in Borovets has become a tradition for the city’s cultural calendar and an attraction for tourists in the summer in the oldest mountain resort on the Balkan Peninsula – Chamkoria.

The energy of the majestic Rila Mountain and the music of favorite Bulgarian and foreign jazz artists intertwine into one whole and create a feeling of freedom and strength. And you, dear friends, and your exalted applause fill the meaning of the festival with content and give reason to us – the organizers, to believe that this jazz event should exist and thrive over the years, because it has only one goal: to create joy and aesthetic enjoyment of music for its fans and tourists in the resort.

In the 2024 edition, you will enjoy the virtuoso performances of musicians from Bulgaria and 14 other countries, many of whom will perform for the first time on the Bulgarian jazz scene. We sincerely hope to satisfy even the most demanding musical tastes with a rich program and accompanying activities such as the jam session concerts, the summer jazz academy for children with the talented teacher Mariam Mavrova, the meeting with writers Vladimir Zarev and Mirela Ivanova, and the demonstration training in karate style “Shinkyokushin” with Dr. Krasimir Zhelyazkov.

My team and I wish you a happy jazz vacation! We are expecting you in Borovets, dear friends!

Dr. Tatyana Ilieva
Director of the Festival