General Information
The Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv is the most reputed higher-learning institute in the field of the arts outside the Bulgarian capital. It is recognised as a provider of highly educated professionals in the fields of music, performing and visual arts and pedagogues and educators in these spheres.More than 1000 students are currently studying at the Academy Faculties of Music Pedagogy, Music Folklore and Choreography and Faculty of Fine Arts. They are making use of modern and favourable facilities – an academic library with an information center, a library of audio and video records, audio and video studios, computer rooms, exhibition areas and a recently refurnished concert hall with 140 seats.
The largest scale of Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes includes:
Pedagogy of Music Teaching, Performing Art – Classical Instrument and Classical Singing, Performing Art – Pop and Jazz, Conducting – Choir and Orchestra, Composition, Musicology, Sound Engineering, Orthodox Church Music, Media Music Editing, Musical and Stage Production, Music Therapy;
Performing Art – Folk Instrument and Folk Singing, Performing Art – Bulgarian traditional music with classical instruments, Conducting of Folk Ensembles, Bulgarian Folk Choreography, Ballet – Ballet Pedagogy and Ballet Production, Contemporary Dance Techniques, Art Management, PR of Art organizations;
Pedagogy of Fine Arts Teaching, Scenography, Church Painting, Clothing Design, Graphic Design and Photography, Graphics, Painting, Sculpture, Costume Design and Multimedia and Virtual Reality.
Since 2011 PhD students have joined the academic studies and research activities in the professional range of Music and Dance Art – scientific subjects: ‘Methods of Music and Fine Arts Teaching’, ‘Musicology and Music Art’ and
‘Choreography’.
The Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts is a higher school of European type and its Diplomas are acknowledged worldwide.
The Academy was the first Bulgarian higher school in the sphere of the arts to receive full state accreditation in 1999 – a recognition which has marked the beginning of a period of change and institutional rejuvenation.
The Academy’s major assets are its students, lecturers and instructors who are committed to the preservation and further development of Bulgaria’s rich cultural traditions and their promotion and presentation to the European and world audience.
During its 50-year history of development and growth the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts maintains active cooperation with a large number of European culture institutions and higher education art schools, among them Hochschule fur Musik ‘Franz Liszt’ – Weimar, Deutschland; ‘St. Moniuszko’ Academy of Music – Gdansk, Poland; The Gnesins’ Academy of Music – Moscow, Russia; The Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory – Russia; Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre – Vilnius, Lithuania; Uludag University – Bursa, Turkey being the closer and most active partners. Numerous conferences, symposia, seminars and other scientific and artistic events have been organized both in Plovdiv and at partner Universites and many anniversaries of famous composers, musicians and artists – commemorated.
In August 2007 the Academy was awarded the ERASMUS University Charter for the whole period of operation of the ERASMUS sectoral programme, namely 2007 – 2014. In the spring of 2014 the Academy was awarded the ERASMUS Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) for the new European Union programme ERASMUS+.
ERASMUS partnership and most successful cooperation and academic exchange has been established with many prestigious European higher education institutions – conservatories, academies and art schools: MDW University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria; ‘G. Tartini’ Conservatory in Trieste, Italy; ‘F.A. Bonporti’ Conservatory in Trento, Italy; Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland; Lahti University of Applied Sciences in Finland; Southern Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Odense, Denmark; ‘K. Lipinski’ Academy of Music in Wroclaw, Poland; ‘St. Moniuszko’ Academy of Music in Gdansk, Poland; Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal in Magdeburg, Germany; Technological Educational Institution (T.E.I.) of Athens in Greece; Trakya University in Edirne, Turkey; University of Porto in Portugal; Conservatorio Superior de Musica de Jaen in Spain and many others.
The Academy has also signed Interinstitutional Agreements and Memorandums of Understanding for academic exchange and cooperation with Minzu University – Beijing, China; Institute Seni – Surakarta, Indonesia and Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Worldwide.
Since 2004 the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts has been an active member of the Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen (AEC).
It has been also a long-year member of the UNESCO International Organization of Folklore Art (IOV).
The large scale cooperation with higher education schools and prestigious Bulgarian and foreign art and cultural institutions opens wide perspectives for artistic and creative development and successful professional realization.
