Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

The BNR Symphony Orchestra protests with concert silence

Photo: Ani Petrova, BNR

The Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra undertook effective protest action, as shown in videos of their June 6 concert at Bulgaria Hall, which were posted on social media. The BNR Symphony Orchestra refused to perform Sergei Rachmaninoff’s ''Symphonic Dances''. This was one of the three pieces scheduled in their concert program. The guest conductor was Ekhart Wycik from Germany.

''Silence is our only weapon'', violinist Zvezdelina Haltakova told the audience, as quoted by dnevnik.bg. She added that for years they have been forced to create in inacceptable working conditions — lack of instruments, lack of concert clothing and insultingly-low pay. The concert hall supported the silent protest with applause.

On June 4, at a press conference held at BTA, young musicians from the BNR Symphony Orchestra stated that they receive a net monthly salary of 1,260 BGN (619 EUR). 

Edited by Ivo Ivanov

Published and translated by Kostadin Atanasov

Photo: Ani Petrova, BNR



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Amendments to the draft budget hint at state's readiness to buy Lukoil assets

Two billion euros in additional state guarantees and a concession of the Bulgarian Sports Totalizator are part of changes to the draft budget for 2026, submitted between the first and second readings. The change that increases the..

published on 11/25/25 4:47 PM

More than 86% of people say that wage growth in 2025 is not sufficient

The increase in the minimum wage is supported by 54.1% of Bulgarians. 1/3 of respondents believe that the minimum wage should be equal to the living wage. This is indicated by the results of a representative survey by the Myara..

published on 11/25/25 1:19 PM

President Rumen Radev: Peace in Ukraine will be written by the victors

“We see a rational plan for a quick peace from President Donald Trump, according to which the situation on the battlefield is developing extremely unfavorably for Ukraine, and he is trying to prevent a worse scenario and additional casualties,”..

published on 11/25/25 11:14 AM