Have you ever heard or seen a notary playing the saxophone, a judge singing the Toreador’s Song from the opera Carmen, or a lawyer composing classical music?

We heard and saw all of this at the celebratory concert dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Orchestra of the Union of Lawyers at the Cultural Center of the Union of Lawyers in Bulgaria (ULB).

The event took place shortly before Christmas, on December 16, 2025. In the dignified Grand Concert Hall of the ULB, the celebration was honored by the Chairman of the ULB, Mr. Vladislav Slavov, the Chair of the ULB Cultural Center, Prof. Snezhana Nacheva, the Chief Secretary of the ULB, Ms. Keti Bozukova, as well as many lawyers and guests.

The concert was opened by Prof. Snezhana Nacheva, who congratulated the orchestra and the audience for their love of music and their loyalty to the musical program and the emblem of the ULB. She also welcomed the conductor—the distinguished Bulgarian violinist Prof. Angel Stankov, who stood at the conductor’s podium for the third time that evening. She expressed her gratitude as well to the concertmasters Temenuga Manova and Vesela Darvarova.

Each performance by the orchestra under the baton of Prof. Angel Stankov was met with enthusiastic applause from the audience. He also appeared as a soloist, brilliantly performing Salut d’Amour by Elgar and Csárdás by Monti. This was followed by Mozart’s Divertimento in three movements. The genius composer was represented by another work in the concert as well—the duet of Don Giovanni and Zerlina from the opera Don Giovanni. The soloists were soprano Galya Atanasova and baritone Judge Ivan Koev, whose voices deeply moved the audience. Individually, they also performed Giuditta’s Song from Lehár’s opera Giuditta and the Toreador’s Song from Bizet’s opera Carmen.

An emotional moment of the concert was the performance of the piece Sorrow by Stoyanov, played by pianist Prof. Ivelina Ivancheva in memory of her father, Marin Ivanchev, who had been the orchestra’s conductor for 12 years. A work composed by a lawyer was also performed - Polite People by attorney Vlado Lyubenov. Particularly exciting was the performance of Piazzolla’s Oblivion on saxophone by the notary Antony Getov. The finale of the concert - the polka Amusement Park by Johann Strauss (son) - brought the audience to its feet.

A worthy concert for a worthy jubilee! It is no coincidence that the Orchestra of the Cultural Center of the ULB is a recipient of the "Golden Lyre" (2000) and the "Crystal Necklace" (2020) awards of the Union of Bulgarian Musical and Dance Artists.

Many flowers and congratulations followed. The Chairman of the ULB, Mr. Vladislav Slavov, was the first to greet the orchestra and noted that this year there is marks another important milestone for the legal community - the 100th anniversary of the formation of the organizational committee and the cooperative society established in 1925 to build the House of the Jurist. He also emphasized that the large hall in which the event took place was the first in Bulgaria whose acoustics were enhanced by clay rings (pots) built into the walls - five years before the construction of Bulgaria Hall.

A special message celebrating the 75th anniversary and the orchestra’s achievements was also sent on behalf of the Chairman of the Union of Bulgarian Music and Dance Artists, Mr. Stanislav Pochekanski.

Certificates recognizing long-standing cooperation with the orchestra were awarded to the "friends of the orchestra": Prof. Plamen Djurov, Prof. Ivelina Ivancheva, and Ms. Kamena Brusarska, who has been an orchestra violinist for 40 consecutive years.

The celebration concluded, as befits a jubilee, with a cocktail reception in the Small Hall of the ULB.

Photos: Diplomatic Spectrum

Top: The Lawyers’ Orchestra at the ULB Cultural Center and Prof. Angel Stankov performing Elgar’s "Salut d’Amour" during the jubilee concert.

Bottom: First row – in the foreground, ULB Chairman Vladislav Slavov and Cultural Center Chair Prof. Snezhana Nacheva; Prof. Angel Stankov with the orchestra; the performance of soprano Galya Atanasova and baritone Judge Ivan Koev; Prof. Ivelina Ivancheva at the piano. Second row – the audience; saxophonist and notary Antoniy Getov; congratulations after the concert.