The Vice-President of BAS, Prof. Emmanuel Moutafov, was the chairman of the commission.
Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov presented the “St. Paisius of Hilendar” State Award to Prof. Hristo Yotsov at a ceremony held today in the Granite Hall of the Council of Ministers. This year’s winner was selected by a commission at the Ministry of Culture headed by Prof. Emmanuel Moutafov, Vice-President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
“The award, established at the beginning of our century, has so far been presented mainly to masters of the word, or more generally to contemporary writers or scholars. Among them are the names of Valeri Petrov, Vera Mutafchieva, Vladimir Zarev, Elka Bakalova, and Yordan Radichkov. However, it has also been awarded to artists such as Stefan Danailov, Dimitrina Gyurova-Slavova, Lyudmil Staykov, and Vassil Mihajlov,” Prof. Emmanuel Moutafov said. As chairman of the committee, he presented the award regulations and the nomination of Prof. Hristo Yotsov, emphasizing that “he deserves it as a representative of high art in its most emotional form – music.”
Prof. Hristo Yotsov has been awarded the 2025 prize for his outstanding contribution to the development of national cultural identity and spiritual values. The professor is a jazz instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and educator. He has released over 30 albums, has played with leading musicians in Bulgaria and around the world, and has been composing music for jazz, theater, film, and symphony orchestras.
The ceremony was attended by Minister of Culture Marian Bachev, Deputy Minister of Culture Ashot Kazaryan, Rector of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” Prof. Georgi Valchev, Prof. Kiril Topalov, and other members of the commission.
