Teo Nikolov

Teo Nikolov began studying classical guitar at the age of seven with the distinguished Bulgarian guitarist, teacher and composer Assoc. Prof. Rossen Balkanski, PhD. He continued studying with him at the Central Army Music School until completing secondary education, and in 2020 was admitted to the Prof. Pancho Vladigerov National Academy of Music as a classical-guitar student in Balkanski’s class. Teo completed his bachelor’s degree with honours in 2023 and his master’s degree, again with honours, in 2024. He is currently a full-time doctoral student at the National Academy of Music.

He is a laureate of national and international competitions, including the Pleven International Classical Guitar Competition, where he received Second Prize in 2015 and First Prize in 2016; the Academician Marin Goleminov International Classical Guitar Competition in Kyustendil, where he received one Second Prize in 2014 and three First Prizes in 2015, 2020 and 2022; and the 14th Academic Chamber Music Competition in 2024, where he received First Prize together with pianist Yana Lolova.

He has participated in masterclasses with leading European guitarists including Aniello Desiderio, Zoran Dukić, Gerhard Reichenbach, Michael Button, Éric Franceries, Antoine Guerrero, Liviu Georgescu, Darko Bageski, Atanas Ourkouzounov, George Vassilev, Svetoslav Costov, Stela Miteva-Dinkova, Boyan Doychev and others.

In 2025 and 2026, Teo released his first studio albums of works by Rossen Balkanski, featuring Yana Lolova on piano: Stories for Guitar and Stories for Guitar and Piano.

He performs both as a soloist and in chamber ensembles at venues including Bulgaria Chamber Hall, the Central Military Club, the National Academy of Music Concert Hall and the Krasno Selo Municipal Cultural Institute in Sofia, as well as in Plovdiv, Burgas, Stara Zagora, Kyustendil, Pleven, Pazardzhik, Vratsa and other cities. He was invited as a soloist with the Academy Symphony Orchestra in three consecutive years, 2022, 2023 and 2024; with the Pazardzhik Symphony Orchestra in 2025; and with Sinfonietta Vratsa in 2026. In 2025, he made the premiere recording of the Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra by American composer Jeremy Beck with the Four for Music Symphony Orchestra.

Teo has also been active as a teacher since 2021 and, since 2023, has taught at the Lyubomir Pipkov National School of Music.