19 Year-Old Bulgarian Musician Awarded Rare 18th-Century Gagliano Violin
Jerusalem, 28 April, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Sofia (BTA) – Young Bulgarian violinist Viktor Vasilev has won the right to use a rare 18th-century master instrument following a highly competitive international selection organized by the Swiss Instrument Fund (SIF). “It is an exceptional honor for me to get to know and build a connection with this incredible instrument,” Vasilev told BTA.
He explained that he went through a preliminary selection, followed by a live audition among candidates competing for one of 12 violins provided by various luthier workshops and private collectors, and was ultimately chosen as the recipient of one of them.
As a result, Vasilev will perform for the next two years on a violin crafted by Ferdinando Gagliano in Naples around 1770. The instrument is provided by the London-based workshop Florian Leonhard – Fine Violins and ranks among high-class historical instruments with a collector’s value estimated in the hundreds of thousands of euros.
Violins made by the Gagliano family, active in the 18th century, are highly valued for their masterful craftsmanship and distinctive sound.
“It was an immense joy for me to learn that I would have the opportunity to play such a remarkable instrument,” Viktor Vasilev told BTA. “Beyond its incredible sound qualities, it also carries historical value. Every time I touch it, I imagine how many musicians have played it and how much energy and emotion it has soaked,” he added.
In 2024, Vasilev was also granted the use for two years of an instrument made by renowned luthier Stefan-Peter Greiner, provided by the organization Youth Classics – SIMA.
The Swiss Instrument Fund supports talented musicians aged 12 to 30 who live or study in Switzerland, by granting them free access to high-quality instruments and acting as an intermediary between instrument owners and performers.
Viktor Vasilev is a laureate of numerous international competitions, including Tibor Junior in Switzerland, Grumiaux in Belgium, Postacchini in Italy, Kocian in the Czechia, and B. Warchal in Slovakia, as well as many national distinctions in Bulgaria. Born on April 20, 2007, he is currently a second-year undergraduate student at the Lausanne University of Music in the class of Prof. Svetlana Makarova. His long-time teachers in Bulgaria include Darina Dankova and Prof. Mario Hossen.
