Biography
Bulgarian classical guitarist Georgi ‘Jojo’ Dimitrov is pursuing his MA at the Royal Academy of Music under Professor Michael Lewin, receiving the prestigious Bicentenary Scholarship. Georgi completed his BA cum laude from the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz with Paolo Pegoraro and also studying with Lukasz Kuropaczewski, PetritÇeku (Chamber music), and David Bergmüller (Baroque guitarand Lute).
Georgi is the current holder of the Musicians’ Company’s prestigious New Elizabethan Award with a concert at WigmoreHall in 2025. Other recent awards include the Blyth Watson Award, the First European Bach Guitar Award with a tour in Europe, including the prestigious Bach Fest Leipzig, and a recording of a selection of Bach’s music with NAXOS Records in Toronto. He is also the First and the Special Prize winner of the cciMB “M. Biasini”, 2021, “GuitArt”, Plovdiv, becoming a Eurostrings Artist 2018/2019, "Anna Amalia", Weimar, 2017, "Andres Segovia", 2016, First Prize and the EMCY Special Prize at the "Young Virtuosos" 2016, Sofia, among others.
Georgi was the first-ever classical guitarist to perform at the prestigious Bach Fest Leipzig where his interpretations of Bach's music were critically acclaimed and attracted approval from the audience’s standing ovations. His Naxos Bach Album was recommended by MusicWeb International as “one of the best guitar recordings of music by J.S. Bach … representing excellent technical facility, refined musicianship, and deep understanding of the music.”
Georgi is an active solo musician. His repertoire encompasses music from Dowland and Bach to contemporary composers involving collaborations with RAM fellow composers whose works he often premiers. He had concerts in major venues such as Auditorio Nacional de Música de Madrid,Rocca di Dozza, Bulgaria Hall, Sobornaya Palata, MinoritensaalGraz, the Concert halls in Blaibach, and Magdeburg. Georgi has also performed on the Rising Stars series in Stadtcasino Basel and was a guest artist at the Sofia Music Weeks International Festival, Segovia Guitar Weeks, as well as at the Guitar Festivals in Nürtingen, Darmstadt, Castell'Arquato, Petrer, Tampere, Pleven, and Sarajevo.
Georgi premiered for the UK the quintet “Wynwood Walls” by Stephen Goss at the composer’s 60th Birthday Celebration. It was attended by the legendary John Williams who admired the performance. As a chamber music enthusiast, Georgi founded the first RAM brass trio with classical guitar, trumpet, and trombone. His guitar and percussion formation with Sara Chakarova, the “Chase”, performs George’s compositions exploring the blending of genres and styles. Their debut album “Kopfkino” is releasing very soon.
His interest in composing and experimenting by blending musical genres has prompted Georgi to participate in various projects. He is a guest guitarist and singer in the album celebrating 25 years of the famous Bulgarian band D2, and was also participating in their Anniversary Concert, featuring prominent Bulgarian musicians.
Georgi was awarded the Diploma di Merito by the Accademia Musicale Chigiana under the tutelage of the world-renowned, legendary teacher and performing musician, Maestro Oscar Ghiglia. He has participated in masterclasses with Manuel Barrueco, Judicael Perroy, Georgi Vassilev, Fabio Zanon, Stephen Goss, Matteo Mela, Margarita Escarpa, Marco Tamayo, Marcin Dylla, Alvaro Pierri, Thomas Offermann, Johannes Monno, Adriano Del Sal, Jozef Zsapka, among others.
In 2022, Georgi performed on the stage of the National Music Auditorium in Madrid for the first time with Joaquín Rodrigo's iconic Aranjuez Concerto. He has also debuted on other important stages including the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, delivering a prizewinning performance of Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Guitar Concerto in D major, Hans-Huber-Saal in Basel, Konzertgesellschaft Blaibach, Minoritensaal Graz, Sobornaya palata in Moscow, Bulgaria Hall in Sofia among others.
His EP recording for dotGuitar, funded by the Italian Guitar Campus, was released in May 2023 and includes the first recording of Corren los Soles, composed by the Argentinian composer Alex Nante, as well as works by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Maurice Ohana.
An audience favorite since he was a young student at the National Music School in Sofia, Georgi was accredited as a talented young musician by eminent organizations and cultural institutions in Bulgaria becoming a scholarship holder of the Ministry of Culture of Bulgaria, as well as of several Art Foundations supporting young talents. He was the first young musician honored with the Olga Kamburova Award, supporting talented young artists, held by the Bulgarian National Radio broadcast Allegro Vivace. This achievement enabled him to make his first studio recordings at the BNR studio.