Since making his solo debut with orchestra at age 9, violinist Yordan Tenev has captivated audiences on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Praised for his skill and talent, the violinist has captured prizes in many competitions, including Bulgarian National Music Competition “Svetoslav Obtetenov”, “Young Virtuosi” competition in Plovdiv, and the Modern Bulgarian Music competition. He gave his first solo recital at age 10 and has since given recitals at home and across the United States.
A prolific performer, Yordan has performed in major music halls across 10 countries and in more than 15 U.S. states, including Disney Hall in Los Angeles, Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Royal Albert Hall in London, Auer Hall at Indiana University, “Bulgaria” Hall in Sofia, Festsaal Ingolstadt in Ingolstadt, Germany, Broward and Kravis Centers for the Performing Arts in South Florida, and Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami. He has shared stage with some of the most distinguished artists of our time, including Itzkah Perlman, Joshua Bell, Renee Fleming, Ilya Kaler, Hilary Hahn, Van Cliburn, Yefim Bronfman, Sarah Chang, Amid Peled, and Elmar Oliveira.
Following his lifelong passion for chamber music, Yordan has garnered critical acclaim with many different formations over the years. Most recently, as first violinist of the Lynn Piano Quintet, he won the inaugural Lyric Chamber Music Society Competition, and consequently the group had their New York debut recital at the Kosciuszko Foundation. While he was serving as first violinist of the Baton Rouge String Quartet, the group won gold medal at the Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition in New Orleans, Louisiana. Yordan has been privileged to receive chamber music instruction by members of the Juilliard, Emerson, Dali, Miami, Calidore, and Penderecki string quartets.
As an orchestra musician, Yordan has taken on leadership positions in numerous orchestras, including Baton Rouge Symphony, Evansville Philharmonic, Pleven Philharmonic, Southwest Florida Symphony, as well as Lynn Philharmonia and Indiana University Philharmonia orchestras and many others. He has played under celebrated conductors, including Sir Mark Elder, Emmanuel Villaume, Michael Stern, Peter Oundjian, Grant Llewellyn, David Effron, Cliff Colnot, and Guillermo Figueroa.
Yordan has attended many prestigious music festivals, including Spoleto USA in South Carolina, National Repertory Orchestra in Colorado, Round Top in Texas, and AIMS in Austria. As the only Bulgarian representative in the Aldeburgh World Orchestra, a one-time project for the prestigious Britten-Pearse Festival, as part of the 2012 London Olympics, he performed in the BBC Proms, premiering and recording At the Speed of Stillness, a work by award-winning British composer Charlotte Bray. In August 2016, Yordan was invited to perform La Primavera, from Vivaldi’s Le quattro stagioni with the Dali Quartet Music Festival Orchestra, conducted by Guillermo Figueroa, at the Dali Quartet Music Festival in Philadelphia.
A passionate supporter of contemporary music, Yordan has been part of New Music projects throughout the years, performing works by and meeting some of the most exciting modern composers, including John Adams, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Steven Stucky, Lalo Schifrin, Ernesto Cordero and Miguel del Águila. He has also premiered many works by student composers, both for solo violin and for chamber ensembles.
Born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Yordan began his violin studies at age 6 with Darina Dankova at the National School for Music and Dance Art “Dobrin Petkov”. After finishing with highest honors, he was awarded a full scholarship to the prestigious Idyllwild Arts Academy in California and he moved to the United States at age 13. Yordan has performed in masterclasses and lessons for many distinguished teachers, including Paul Kantor, Zvi Zveitlin, Ivan Zenaty, Schmuel Ashkenazy, Ilya Kaler, Ruggiero Ricci, Joel Smirnoff, Ian Swensen, Sergiu Schwartz, Elmar Oliveira, Felicia Moye, Igor Gruppman, Raymond Gniewek, and Jorja Fleezanis. His education continued at the Louisiana State University and Indiana University, where he studied with renowned pedagogue Kevork Mardirossian. He went on to complete his Bachelors, Masters, and Artist Diploma on full scholarship at the Lynn Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton, Florida with Prof. Carol Cole. He currently plays on a Joseph Curtin violin on generous loan from the Lynn Conservatory.