The Dimitrovgrad Wind Orchestra, comprising professional musicians, is a music-performing institution that continues the cultural tradition in Dimitrovgrad and the region. The Orchestra implements the municipal policy for culture and youth activities by creating, promoting, and preserving cultural values. It popularises the best examples of Bulgarian and international music and performing arts. The Orchestra develops extracurricular educational formats in the cultural sphere through specialised music and art educational programmes for children and youths.

It participates in national, public, and municipal holiday celebrations, protocol events, concerts, military rituals, and national and international band reviews and festivals. The Orchestra unites professional and amateur art in various contemporary performance forms, encompassing cultural diversity in its wholeness.

The Dimitrovgrad Wind Orchestra was founded in 1951 as the first provincial wind orchestra following a decision of the town’s leadership. On June 22, 1951, its first official concert was held at the local theatre. The concert programme comprised six pieces, including the Overture to Verdi’s opera Nabucco and Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Brahms. Gradually, the Orchestra expanded its repertoire with works by Glinka, Rossini, Bizet, and Bulgarian composers. Dimitar Filipov was its first conductor. Boris Chernev, a conductor, is one of the long-standing band leaders, while the Orchestra established itself as a key cultural factor in the town.

The Dimitrovgrad Wind Orchestra is active in three main directions: town rituals, town concerts, and educational concerts. Its repertoire has been renewed and expanded to include over 100 compositions and pieces. Jules Levy, a famous Bulgarian composer, had worked with the Orchestra for seven years, since 1997, and arranged and composed 60 new works. Some renowned soloists and performers who have played and sung with the Orchestra include Prof. Petko Radev (clarinet), Prof. Georgi Jelyazov (oboe), Prof. Marin Vulchanov (bassoon), Prof. Vladislav Grigorov (French horn), Vidin Daskalov (musical-comedy actor and director), Aneliya Shumanova (musical-comedy singer), and Edelina Kuneva (musical theatre vocal soloist).

In 2009, the Orchestra hosted the 7th National Festival of Wind Orchestras to mark the 130th anniversary of wind music in Bulgaria.

The Dimitrovgrad Wind Orchestra has received multiple awards, including the Crystal Lyre Award from the Union of Bulgarian Musicians and Dancers. Throughout its long history, the Orchestra has organised various notable concerts. One example is the concert for the renowned clarinettist and academician, Petko Radev’s 85th anniversary, with soloists Theodosii Spassov (kaval) and Iliyan Iliev (clarinet). The Dimitrovgrad Wind Orchestra has also participated in Lost Music, a project dedicated to the music of totalitarian regimes, and has realised spectacular tributes to Elvis Presley, Steve Wonder, and disco and funk music. Its programme also includes thematic concerts on film, musical comedy, and other music genres.

Today, thanks to the cultural policy of Dimitrovgrad Municipality, the Dimitrovgrad Wind Orchestra continues to develop as a universally acknowledged example of a contemporary orchestra.

Orchestra’s conductors:

• 1991-2018 - Dotso Vutkov
• 2014-2023 - Mitya Yordanov
• 2023 -          Dimitar Mitev