A Concert in Honor of the UN World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW)

On February 21, 2026, the concert “Bridges of Harmony” took place at the Royal Palace “Vrana” in Sofia, Bulgaria. BRIDGES CC (Eastern European Forum for Dialogue - Bridges) once again worthily marked the United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW). The aim of the Week is to serve as a platform for dialogue and to emphasize “the imperative need for dialogue among different religions in order to achieve understanding and cooperation among people.”

Bridges of Harmony was held in partnership with Palace “Vrana” and the Tsar Boris and Queen Goanna Foundation, and with the support and partnership of the Embassy of the Republic of Austria in Sofia.

His Very Reverend Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne, Father Haralampi (Nichev), arrived especially for the event. Among the official guests were H.E. Mehmet Sait Uyanık, Ambassador of Turkey; H.E. Dai Qingli, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China; as well as representatives of various religious communities, ministries, public figures, partners, and friends of Bridges. 

The concert embodied the principles of interfaith dialogue through the universal language of music. Harmony was presented not only as a musical concept, but also as a metaphor for coexistence, in which different traditions and identities preserve their integrity while contributing to a common and meaningful whole.

The program brought together music, classical works, poetry, and traditional dance representing the Orthodox Christian, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and Armenian traditions. The active participation of children and young people from the BRIDGES community was a defining element of the event — they were presented not only as performers, but as bearers of a shared future grounded in dialogue, respect, and mutual understanding. Their presence in the historic setting of Palace “Vrana” symbolized the organization’s mission and its vision of a society based on peaceful coexistence.

During the official welcome in the foyer, Aleksandrina Kushincharova with her arfa created an atmosphere of solemnity and continuity.

The program was ceremoniously opened with Orthodox chants “Our Father,” “Tebe Poem,” and “Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos!” - performed by Georgi Malinov, Georgi Dimitrov, Alexey Salgrin, Lachezar Velichkov, Iliya Haidar, Lyuben Nikolov, and Nikola Aleksandrov, students of the Sofia Theological Seminary “St. John of Rila,” under the direction of Stoyan Malinov.

The hosts of the evening were Silvia Trifonova, board member and Ahmed Gorelski - distinguished youth leaders in the organization and representatives respectively of the Orthodox and Muslim communities. Their joint presence naturally reflected the spirit of interfaith dialogue. After each performance, they expressed gratitude to the respective religious community for its partnership and support.

His Royal Highness Prince Boris Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in his capacity as host and member of the BRIDGES board, welcomed the guests and expressed his satisfaction that the organization’s traditional concert dedicated to World Interfaith Harmony Week was being held at the Royal Palace “Vrana.” He emphasized the importance of the partnership with the “Tsar Boris and Queen Goanna Foundation” and expressed special thanks to Dr. Ivaylo Shalafov for his support.

The Chair of Bridges, Angelina Vladikova, thanked the Royal Family for their hospitality and, in her emotional address, emphasized that “there is deep symbolism in holding a concert dedicated to interfaith dialogue precisely here, where two functioning chapels  Orthodox and Catholic coexist together. This space naturally embodies the words of Pope John Paul II that Christianity must breathe with both lungs - the East and the West.”

She briefly presented the organization’s long-standing work, its practical experience in working with young people and promoting interfaith dialogue in Bulgaria, mentioning dozens of interfaith youth camps, the participation in the Anna Lindh Foundation’s intercultural dialogue network, and the major European project PARTESS-COM. On a special focus was Bridges’ presence in the world’s largest interfaith organization URI (United Religions Initiative),

On behalf of the Embassy of Austria, Aneta Genkova delivered greetings and conveyed the message of H.E. Andrea Ikic-Böhm. In her message, the Ambassador expressed her joy at the sustainable partnership and emphasized the importance of dialogue, as well as her satisfaction that for yet another year, an event of such high level is being held in Sofia on the occasion of Interfaith Harmony Week. A readiness to continue cooperation with the Austrian Embassy and the Austrian Cultural Forum was also expressed.

The musical program continued with a piano quartet from the National Music School “Lyubomir Pipkov” — Ralitsa Nedyalkova (violin), Nona Kuteva (viola), Luiza Stefanova (cello), and Tsvetelina Milanova (piano), who performed Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Part I, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In 2026, a significant anniversary related to the composer is being commemorated, which is why his works occupied a special place in the program as an expression of recognition for his enduring contribution to the European musical tradition.

This was followed by “Ave Maria” by Giulio Caccini, performed by Yoanna Baruch from the Jewish community, accompanied on piano by Yana Stoyanova. Both students at the National Music Academy “Pancho Vladigerov.”

The percussion duo Agleya Kaneva and Alexander Vichev from Musical school “Dobrin Petkov” performed marimba works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and a solo marimba arrangement of “Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

The second part of the concert began with a performance by the Armenian Dance Group “YAN” of the Armenian General Benevolent Union “Parekorzagan” AGBU. Plovdiv.

The Islamic spiritual tradition was represented through the poetry of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, performed by young participants from different religious communities — Adelina Cholakova, Ivayla Ivanova, Mehmed Halil, and Ahmed Gorelski, accompanied on piano by Boris Petkov.

“Many paths lead to God. I chose the one of dance and music” - Rumi

This was followed by a solo piano performance by Boris Petkov of “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”, after which Aglaya Kaneva joined him to sing “Smile.”

The evening concluded solemnly with “Mnogaya Leta,” once again performed by the seminarians.

Thanks to the partnership with Restaurant “Komat” and Red Church, guests and performers continued their communication in an informal atmosphere.

In his special message, which was sent to BRIDGES CC, URI Global Council Chair Eric Roux underline:

“I would like to share how deeply grateful the United Religions Initiative (URI) is that you have gathered this evening to celebrate the unity of humanity - beyond all differences, whether cultural or religious. We are also profoundly grateful to the Royal Family of Bulgaria, who dedicate themselves to promoting the beautiful values of interfaith harmony, and who have generously provided this extraordinary venue for your event.

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… Finaly, I must say how proud I am of all the young performers. Their talents are remarkable, but what makes them truly extraordinary is that they do not keep thiese gifts for themselves; nor using them for personal gain. They use their talents to write a new story for all of us - selflessly, with love and care for others. In a world where the blank page of the future often often fills with bad news, they are the good news. And not just any good news, but beautiful, inspiring, and uplifting - bringing art and creativity in service of humanity.”

The concert “Bridges of Harmony” was conceived not merely as a cultural spectacle, but as a ceremonial act of encounter and dialogue. Through music, dance, poetry, and shared presence  supported by institutional and diplomatic partnership - a space for interfaith communication was created, in which traditions entered into dialogue, differences coexisted with dignity, and harmony was both experienced and affirmed.

We are proud that in 2024 our concert “Gift of Love,” organized on the same occasion, was awarded the prestigious First Prize of the World Interfaith Harmony Week by His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan. With BRIDGES of Harmony, we will once again apply for this distinguished award.

Angelina Vladikova, Chair of Bridges CC