At the heart of the event is trio notiSYMo – an international ensemble bringing together three violinists: Yana Zelenogorska-Sapaev (Bulgaria), Sanjar Sapaev (Uzbekistan), and Mike Perroud (Switzerland). They will present an original interpretation of some of the most iconic works written for the violin, performed in arrangements for three instruments.

The story of trio notiSYMo began in 2017 inspired by the idea of Mike Perroud. While studying in Sofia, Yana, Mike, and Sanjar formed a close friendship that sparked them to make music together and present the violin repertoire in new and unexpected ways.

notiSYMo regularly performs in Switzerland, Bulgaria, and Germany. Alongside their work as a trio, Mike is a member of the Pegasus String Quartet at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, USA, Sanjar serves as principal second violin of the Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra, and Yana is a regular guest musician at Frankfurt Radio.

The three friends reinterpret important works from the violin repertoire without altering their essence, while weaving their own artistic vision into the trio arrangements and bringing ambitious musical ideas to life. Each performance is an invitation to rediscover familiar melodies through the violin’s sensitivity and captivating virtuosity.

The program includes works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Niccolò Paganini, Eugène Ysaÿe, Franz Schubert, Petar Hristoskov, as well as music by Uzbek composer Mutal Burhonovich Bafoyev, creating bridges between different cultural worlds and performance traditions.

PART OF THE CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES

Mike Perroud (Switzerland) chose the violin after being inspired by an instrument hanging as a decoration in his home. Just one year later, he was admitted to the Conservatory of Neuchâtel. Alongside his secondary education, he continued his musical studies in Sofia in the class of Prof. Evgenia-Maria Popova at the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov,” where he completed his Bachelor’s degree under Prof. Ginka Gichkova. He later specialized in the Master’s program in Performance at the Nuremberg University of Music under the guidance of Dr. Reto Kuppel.

He has participated in masterclasses with distinguished musicians such as Shlomo Mintz and Zakhar Bron. He is a prizewinner of competitions in Switzerland, Germany, and Bulgaria, and performs as a soloist and chamber musician across Europe and the United States.

You can learn more about Mike Perroud on his website.

Sancar Sapaev is a violinist born in Uzbekistan who began his violin studies at the age of six in Turkey. Since 2011, he has studied at the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” in Sofia with Prof. Angel Stankov and has participated in masterclasses with distinguished violinists such as Pinchas Zukerman and Valery Oistrakh.

He is a prizewinner of several international competitions, including “Vasko Abadjiev,” “Rotary Club,” and “Nedyalka Simeonova.” In 2016, he received the “Young Musician of the Year” award from Yuri Temirkanov in Turin.

Since 2021, he has served as Principal Second Violin of the Dortmund Philharmonic.