[25] International Piano Competition Classical and Contemporary

International Piano Competition "Classics and Contemporary" was held 11 times between 1998 and 2020. Its specialty is piano, divided into two categories - piano and piano duo. The host is in the city of Stara Zagora, organized by the National School of Music and Performing Arts "Hristina Morfova".

In 1998, on the initiative of Prof. Dr. Atanas Kurtev from the National Academy of Music "Pancho Vladigerov" - Sofia and Mrs. Mariana Marincheva from the National School of Music and Performing Arts "Hristina Morfova", the First Piano Competition "Vienna Classics" was established. The competition program includes only works by the three great Viennese classics – Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. Young pianists up to the age of 19 participate, divided into 3 age groups.

In the first edition of the competition, 48 participants met, judged by leading teachers from the National Academy of Sciences - Sofia: Prof. Dr. Atanas Kurtev - chairman of the jury, Prof. Dora Lazarova, Prof. Dr. Milena Kurteva, Assoc. Dimo Dimov and Mariana Marincheva, representative of the hosts from SMU "Hr. Morfova" - Stara Zagora. 16 prizes were awarded.

The second edition of the competition "Viennese Classic" was held in 2000. The age limit of the participants has been extended to include a fourth group - from 19 to 30 years old. 49 participants took part in the competition, of which 22 were awarded by the jury: Prof. Dr. Atanas Kurtev - chairman, Prof. Dora Lazarova, Prof. Georgi Petrov, Prof. Dimo Dimov, Prof. Krasimir Gatev.

The third competition in 2002 is already called "Classics and Modernity". At the initiative of the hosts from Stara Zagora, the competition program regulations include the requirement to perform contemporary works, as well as another, new category - Piano duets for 4 hands, in which the participants are divided into 2 age groups. Special attention and emphasis in the competition regulations is given to the performance of Bulgarian piano music, and for this purpose the Union of Bulgarian Composers provides a special award for the best performance of a Bulgarian work. This competition managed to attract the attention of 68 participants, of which 28 were awarded. The jury in 2002 was Prof. Dr. Atanas Kurtev - chairman, Prof. Dimo Dimov, Prof. Victor Chuchkov, Assoc. Prof. Krasimir Gatev and Mrs. Mariana Marincheva.

The fourth competition "Classics and Modernity" 2004 is held in the 30th anniversary of the founding of SMU "Hristina Morfova" - Stara Zagora and is open for international participation. In the competition program, the contemporary theme is even more expanded in search of its equal combination with timeless classics. This edition gathers 36 participants, of which 17 have been awarded. The jury of the competition is Prof. Dr. Atanas Kurtev - chairman, Prof. Dimo Dimov, Prof. Krasimir Gatev, Prof. Ivayla Kirova - Munich, Germany, Mariana Marincheva. For the organization, conduct and high artistic achievements of the participants in "Classics and Contemporary" the hosts of the competition from SMU "Hristina Morfova" receive the prestigious "Stara Zagora" award, as well as the "Honorary Crystal Badge" from the Union of Bulgarian Composers for their contribution to popularization of Bulgarian musical creativity.

"Classics and Contemporary" 2006 is again with international participation - young pianists from Switzerland, Germany and Poland also arrive. The trend continues to enrich the regulation in search of a stylistic balance between distant musical-historical eras and to achieve an optimal form, revealing the best of the creative potential of the performers at each stage of their artistic development. The competition regulations include works by predecessors and followers of the Viennese classics, and greater freedom is granted in the selection of contemporary works from the 20th and 21st centuries. The publication presents 47 participants, of which 28 were awarded.
The jury in 2006 was Prof. Dr. Atanas Kurtev - chairman, Prof. Marialena Fernandez - Vienna, Austria, Prof. Teodora Nestorova, Prof. Rostislav Yovchev and the composer Petar Petrov.

The sixth competition "Classics and Modernity" in 2008 passed without significant changes in the regulations. He gathered 50 young pianists, of which 25 were awarded. Jury: Prof. Dr. Atanas Kurtev - chairman, Maria Prinz - Vienna, Austria, Prof. Dimo Dimov, Mariana Marincheva, Petar Petrov.

1. 1998
2. 2000
3. 2002 October16-19
4. 2004 October 21-23
5. 2006 September 28-October 1
6. 2008 October 16-19
7. 2012 October 17-20
8. 2014 October 15-17
9. 2016 October 19-22
10. 2018 November 15-18
11. 2020 November 18-21