Highlights in his creative work include:

• 2023, ‘Songs of the Primitive I’ commissioned by Goethe Institut-Bulgaria and written for Viktoriia Vitrenko.
• 2023, commission by Radio France for ‘Serpents and Doves’ written for Les Cris de Paris, cond. by Geoffroy Jourdain.
• 2022-2023, duermevela – interlude and epilogue for orchestra, commissioned by Bulgarian National Radio.
• In 2018-2019, commission by State Opera-Plovdiv to write ‘The Pied Piper and the Cars‘ – Music theater-Ballet for children for soprano, bass, two choirs, wind instruments, percussion and electronics. On libretto by Dragomir Yossifov based on self-titled story by Gianni Rodari. Staged by the Russian choreographer Liliya Burdinskaya.
• In 2015, he wrote ‘Time Etudes‘ for orchestra, two choirs and voice solo, originally commissioned by Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France later on to be commissioned by Bulgarian National Radio.
• In 2017 he was commissioned by Apollonia Festival of Arts to compose ‘Windows and Oranges‘ for accordion and string orchestra. The piece was premiered by Krassimir Sterev (KLANGFORUM Wien) and Chamber Ensemble Sofia Soloists under Plamen Djouroff.
• In 2011, he composed ‘Attempt at Screaming‘ for ASKO/Schoenberg Ensemble.
• As a part of 2010 “New York comes to The Hague” project, he wrote ‘HORO‘ for Bang on a Can-All Stars.

• In 2012, Kerkelov won 59th International Rostrum of Composers in Stockholm in “under 30” category with “Attempt at Screaming”
• In 2016, his ‘Time Etudes‘ received “Top 10 recommended work” in “General” category at 63rd International Rostrum of Composers in Wroclaw
• Finalist at Sentierri Selvaggi Composition Competition, Milano
• Scholarship from Richard-Wagner-Stipendienstiftung – Bayreuth
• Twice awarded “Grant for artistic high education” by Schuurman Schimmel-van Outeren Stichting
• Twice awarded “Scholarship for classical music” by Raina Kabaivanska Foundation

Peter Kerkelov is a freelance composer since 2012.

As of 2017 Kerkelov is represented exclusively by the Dutch Contemporary Music Publishing House DONEMUS 

Currently, he is Associate Professor and head of composition in National Music Academy “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov”, Sofia. Previously, he served as Assistant Professor in Ethnomusicology at Institute of Art Studies in Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Previous projects include commissions by Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Bulgarian National Radio, Dutch Chamber Music Society, Royal Conservatoire-The Hague among others.

Kerkelov’s music has been performed in Bulgaria, The Netherlands, Germany, France, Austria, Russia, Ukraine, Armenia and the USA in distinguished venues such as Konzerthaus Wien, Gaudeamus Music Week, BOZAR Brussels, Teatro Massimo, Palermo in performances by Asko/Schoenberg Ensemble, “Bang on a Can All-Stars”, Ensemble PHACE (Austria), Ensemble “Musica Nova-Sofia”, Sofia Soloists with Krassimir Sterev, Ruysdael Kwartet (The Netherlands), Antonii Baryshevskyi (Ukraine), Hayk Melikyan (Armenia) among others.

Peter Kerkelov holds a PhD degree in Ethnomusicology from Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia; a Master’s degree in composition from Royal Conservatoire, The Hague where he studied under Martijn Padding and Guus Janssen; a Master’s in composition from Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts (AMDFA), Plovdiv, Bulgaria, where his teacher was prof. Dimitar Tapkoff. From AMDFA he has also a Bachelor degree in classical guitar and music pedagogy with teachers Milena and Valentin Valchev.

In 2006-2007, as an exchange student he studied composition under prof. Dan Dediu in National University of Music, Bucharest, Romania.

Selected for masterclasses with Louis Andriessen, David Lang and Kaija Saariaho.

THE INAPPROPRIATE MAN CALLED THE COMPOSER – Peter Kerkelov about Peter Kerkelov. 

Video testimony in Russian with English, Bulgarian and Greek subtitles:

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