Described by John Williams as “a poet of the guitar,” Bulgarian classical guitarist Pavel Ralev is establishing a strong presence on the international concert platform. In 2023, he was conferred as an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, London, in recognition of his “significant contribution” to the music profession. Pavel made his Wigmore Hall debut in November 2023, under the auspices of the Julian Bream Trust (“an unforgettable performance,” Gendai Guitar Magazine).
Having won the Adelaide International Guitar Competition in 2021, Pavel toured Australia in 2022, and returned for his second concert tour in May 2024. This tour included performances at the Canberra International Music Festival, where his collaboration with Hamed Sadeghi and Hillary Geddes was described as “breathtakingly beautiful” by City News Canberra. His rendition of Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint in an all-American music programme at the same festival was praised as “astounding.” Pavel also gave concerts and masterclasses at the Queensland Conservatorium (Brisbane) and the University of Western Australia (Perth). His tour included a benefit concert for Ukrainian war refugees at The Hedberg (Hobart, Tasmania), supported by the United Nations.
As a strong advocate of new music, composers as diverse as David Matthews, Jason Noghani, and jazz guitarist Ant Law have dedicated works to Pavel, and he has also premiered music by Louise Drewett and Kiril Boshikyov. Pavel also expands the repertoire through his transcriptions of works by J.S. Bach, Olivier Messiaen, Terry Riley, and Arvo Pärt for the solo classical guitar. Pavel’s acoustic version of Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint (the first since 1993), “seems to make possible this combination of clarity and extremely rich ringing overtone texture,” noted the composer, who also praised it as an “excellent recording.” Pavel’s transcription and performance of Bach’s Second Violin Partita won him the Bach Prize at the 2020 Koblenz International Guitar Competition in Germany.
In 2019–2020, Pavel was a EuroStrings Artist and participated in the International Guitar Foundation’s Young Artists Platform. He has performed and taught at a number of classical guitar festivals in Europe and appeared at the London Guitar Festival and International Guitar Summit held at King’s Place, London. He regularly returns to Bulgaria to perform and give masterclasses at the National School of Music and Dance Arts, and the Academy for Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv.
Pavel studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London with Michael Lewin, David Russell, and Fabio Zanon, and completed a Master of Music degree at the University of Surrey under Stephen Goss and Milton Mermikides. Among his teachers and mentors are John Williams, Aniello Desiderio, and George Vassilev. His parents, who both play popular music on the guitar, introduced him to the instrument; his first classical guitar teacher was Ekaterina Vaseva-Ikonomova. Before moving to the UK, Pavel studied at the National School for Music and Dance Arts, Plovdiv with Milena and Valentin Valtchev.
Pavel plays guitars by Jim Redgate, Stephen Eden, and Simon Ambridge, all strung with Savarez.