Our Conductors
Conductor - Milen P. Panayotov
Born in Burgas, Bulgaria in 1973, Milen P. Panayotov studied trumpet at the Primary and Secondary School of Music in his hometown. Upon finishing his degree in 1992 he went to Sofia where he studied conducting and composition with Miroslav Popsavov & Dimitar Tapkov at the State Music Academy of Sofia, Bulgaria. He also did a course in choral conducting with Georg Grün at Mannheim, Germany, in 2002. In July 2005, he finished the Masters in Cultural Management, specialization: Cultural Industries and Business at the University of Barcelona.
Currently assumes the leadership of the Orfeó Atlàntida. He is also director of the choir “Millennium" (Barcelona), associate director of the choir "Dyapasón" (Barcelona) and director of the "Folk Music Association of Montjuïc” (Barcelona). It is also an active member of the Union of Bulgarian Composers. He has been guest conductor of the Youth Orchestra of Baix Llobregat and director of several choirs, both amateur and semi-professionals (Young chamber choir "St. Joseph", Sofia, Bulgaria; Chamber Choir for young people "Hash", Sofia, Bulgaria; Cor "St. Cristòfol", Barcelona).
He has worked in several music festivals of international renown as a pianist-repertorist (the two editions of the International Course of Singing organized by the "Camerata Sant Cugat," the concert of the "Millennium of Sant Cugat” Festival, or the "Setmana Cantat", Tarragona). As for awards, has won the "Best performance of Polish music" and a reasoned award at Competition "N. Stefanov", Sofia, Bulgaria, 1995, Piano Duet category and the third place at State Championships Musical "Young instrumentalists", focused on the Bulgarian music, Burgas, Bulgaria, 1987, Otto category.
He has written a symphony, a piano sonata, an "Adagio" for string orchestra, a "Rondo" for trumpet and piano, a "Sonatina" for piano solo, a series of three songs "My Sea" for tenor and piano, various choral songs, etc...
Assistant Conductor of the Orfeó and Conductor of the Cor Jove - Arnau Roura
Born in 1990. He began his musical studies at the age of five at the Municipal School of Music of Barcelona "La casa dels nens", currently EMME.
At the end of the elementary stage he entered the Conservatory of Music of Barcelona, with the highest qualifications, where he was disciple of the harp professor Mª Luisa Ibañez, who in turn had been disciple of Rosa Balcells. In the Conservatory he studied with renowned professors such as Xavier Boliart (harmony and composition) or Albert Argudo (orchestral practice) and finished the year 2009 with the Honor Prize of the Conservatory.
In 2011 he began his studies at ESMUC (Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya) with Magdalena Barrera. There he also worked with professors like Emilio Molina (improvisation), Kennedy Moretti (camera) among others. During all this stage he could be under the baton of Antoni Ros Marbà, Salvador Brotons or Edmond Colomer. It is also during this period that he delves into the choral leadership with the courses organized by the FCEC (Federació Catalana d'Entitats Corals).
In addition to the regulated studies, he has been able to work with several renowned harpists in the summer courses organized by the Associació Catalana d'Arpistas. In addition, he has deepened in the world of the composition and orchestration thanks to professor Josep Soler.
When he finished the superior degree, he joined the Escola de Música de l'Eixample (Barcelona), where he is the current harp professor since 2015. In addition, from January 2017 onwards he is the director of Cor Jove of Orfeó Atlántida and deputy director of this Orfeó.
He has participated in several orchestras of the country, as well as orchestrated and arranged music for different formations and projects.
