The Academic Choir “St. Paraskeva”currently under the wing of the National Academy of Art in Sofia is a direct successor of the choir school “St. Paraskeva” founded and lead by the established Bulgarian conductor and scholar Mrs Petya Pavlovich (1939-2007). Stepping up from her position as a secondary conductor Galina Lukanova has taken over and is carrying on with the lifetime work and dedication of Mrs Pavlovich.

March 2008 marks the beginning of the patronage of the National Academy of Arts. During the last 18 years the choir has participated in over 100 concerts domestically in Bulgaria as well as internationally in the Republic of North Macedonia (2011), Hungary (2013), Greece (2013, 2018), Austria (2014), Serbia (2018), Turkey (2024) and Germany (2024).
The choir’s repertoire is rich and varied, including musical pieces from old to contemporary; we sing church, classical, folklore and popular music which come in different languages like English, German, Italian, Spanish, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Slovenian, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic, Sanskrit etc.

Galina Lukanova graduated from the National Academy of Music in Sofia. Her professors were the renowned Bulgarian conductors professor Gerogi Robev and professor Teodora Pavlovich. During her studies Mrs Lukanova participated in a master class for young choir conductors in Marktoberdorf, Germany led by professor W. Hempfling and professor F. Ledger from Germany and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Mrs Lukanova successfully defended a doctoral thesis in Bulgarian folklore and is currently working as an assistant professor in the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies in the Bulgarian Science Academy.

Her career as a choir conductor spans through various singing schools and choirs. She’s been working as a choirmaster and conductor of the choir school “St. Paraskeva”, as well as a conductor of the male chamber choir “Paroria” and children’s choir “Zvezditsi” in Sofia. She used to teach solfege and lead the school choir in the National Secondary School of Music and Theater Arts in Burgas. She’s been employed as a part-time assistant professor in the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and used to chair the Bulgarian Choir Union during the years 2015-2018. She’s currently an assistant conductor of the Sofia chamber choir “Vasil Arnaudov”, as well as conducting the Academic Choir “St. Paraskeva”.

Mario Yotzov was born in Sofia and started playing the piano when he was six years old. His music education continued studying piano taught by Ekaterina Tancheva and theory of music taught by professor Vasil Kazandzhiev in the Associated Board of the UK Royal Music School’s Agency in Bulgaria. He graduated the Theoretical and Conductors Faculty in the National Academy of Music in 2015 as a music teacher.
Mr Yotsov started composing at an early age when he was 15 and his musical pieces include mainly piano music, but he’s authored chamber music and songs. He’s been participating in various competitions and master classes both in Bulgaria and abroad.
The year 2008 marks Mr Yotsov joining the Academic Choir “St. Paraskeva” and starting 2016 he’s been appointed a choirmaster.
Since 2017 he’s been teaching piano and solfege in the Musical Agency “Art Voices” at “Dimcho Debeliyanov” community centre.
Mr Yotsov published his first collection of compositions “Youth’s Piano Album” in 2022 /ARS Sofia - 2021/.

Manol Paskalev was born in Burgas and graduated from the local musical secondary school cum laude in 2007. He continued his higher education at the National Academy of Music in the class of professor Mariya Kapatsinskaya.
Mr Paskalev is actively participating in master classes lead by renowned piano players such as professor Paolo Policce (Torrefranca Academy in Vibo Valentia, Italy), professor Boris Bloch (Folkwangschule, Essen, Germany), Vasiliy Elisavsky and Galina Draganova - harpsichord and fortepiano (Russia), professor Marina Kapatsinskaya (“Gnesina” conservatory, Nizhniy Novogorod, Russia).
Mr Paskalev’s recordings include musical pieces by Skryabin, Haidn and Vladigerov, realised in a German studio, as well as ones completed in the recording studios of the national radio and television of Bulgaria. His original compositions include “A string quartet”, “11 preludes for piano”, “Variations for piano” and “A suite for an increasing number of instruments”.
Manol Paskalev joined the Academic choir “St. Paraskeva” in 2008 and is currently teaching music theory and piano and combines this with participation in varied musical projects.