ACCEPT are a German heavy metal band who reached the top of their popularity in the 1980s. Their music is characterized by fast and heavy guitar riffs supported by coarse vocal lines. These have made them one of the best performers of speed metal and influential figures in the formation of thrash metal. The band reached the peak of their popularity with the 1983 hit Balls to the Wall. The band was founded in the town of Solingen in the 1970s. Accept are the first German metal performers after Scorpions to achieve commercial success in the US and Europe. Unlike their predecessors, Accept possess a much harder sound and vocals. Accept were headliners at Kavarna Rock Festival in 2013 and had a concert at the Hristo Botev hall in Sofia on 15 December 2015.

AHAT are a Bulgarian rock band founded in 1986. Their first documented appearance before an audience was on 22 December in the same year. In 1988 Ahat recorded their hit song Chernata ovtsa/Black Sheep that has remained one of the emblematic pieces of Bulgarian heavy metal. Ahat were part of Kavarna Rock in 2012.

ALISA was formed in 1983. The band is one of the most influential Russian hard rock bands. They were part of Kavarna Rock Festival in 2013.

ANALGIN are a Bulgarian rock band formed in 1999 by Zvezdomir Keremidchiev, lead vocalist of Ahat. The group has released three albums. Analgin were part of Kavarna Rock Festival 2013.

AN THEOS was formed in the spring of 2010 in Romania. Its distinctive epic-folk-metal style put the band at first place in the Battle of the Bands contest during Kavarna Rock Festival in 2015. The band was part of Lovech Rock Fest 2016.

ARIA is a Russian heavy meatal band founded in 1985 in Moscow. Aria was part of Kavarna Rock Festival 2013

AXXIS is a German heavy metal band formed in 1988. Their debut was with the album Kingdom of the Night that became the best-selling German hard rock band album in 1989. Their first visit to Bulgaria was at Lovech Rock Fest in 2016.

BIG NOIZE feat. SEBASTIAN BACH – a super group with its own unique concept and heritage. Closely connected with giants like Ozzy Osbourne, Dio, Black Sabbath, Quiet Riot, Rainbow, and Deep Purple, they perform a number of emblematic pieces of the early and most powerful years of hard rock and metal. Sebastian is a Canadian heavy meatal singer who achieved mainstream success as frontman of Skid Row. BIG NOIZE feat. SEBASTIAN BACH were at Kavarna Rock 2012.

Big Band Blagoevgrad consists of 1 conductor and 15 orchestrators.

Since its inception, its permanent soloists are: Hristina Paleva, Mariana Kostova, Anelia Nikova, Rusina Katardzhieva and Alexandrina Alexandrova and Milan Georgiev.

Guest soloists of Big Band Blagoevgrad include Vasil Petrov, Hilda Kazasyan, Kamelia Todorova, Stefka Onikyan, Ventsislav Blagoev - trumpet.

Until now, Big Band Blagoevgrad has carried out a rich concert activity. It provides a stage for growing young talents - pupils and students (for example - formation for pop and jazz "Dream" at the Youth Home).

They have participated in TV shows, as well as in 7 editions of the International Jazz Festival in Bansko. In 2011 Big Band Blagoevgrad closed the second edition of "Jazz Panorama Blagoevgrad - 2011". In November 2012, the Big Band gave a charity concert in Bulgaria Hall - Sofia with the participation of Vasil Petrov and Kamelia Todorova and Mihail Yosifov - trumpet. In 2013, the Big Band Blagovgrad celebrated 20 years since its founding. In 2015 they played at the first international Blues & Jazz festival, organized by the Municipality of Blagoevgrad. So far, he has made 18 films from their concert career.

B.T.R. is a Bulgarian group formed at the National High School of Ancient Languages and Cultures in 1984. Until the mid 90s they played mostly heavy metal and later turned to hard rock. They were part of Kavarna Rock Festival 2012.

CANDLEMASS is an influential Swedish doom metal band established in Stockholm in 1984. They were part of the 10th anniversary edition of Kavarna Rock Festival in 2015.

CHERNO FEREDJE is a Bulgarian band formed in 1994 who perform mostly humorous songs. Their lyrics are playful and often vulgar. They were part of Kavarna Rock Festival 2013.

D2 feat. DICHO are a Bulgarian band founded in 1999 by Dimitar Karnev (guitar) and Dicho Hristov (vocals). Their hit song Ledeno Momiche/Girl of Ice was a best-selling musical product on the Bulgarian market until 2006. In 2005 vocalist Dicho Hristov left D2 to pursue a solo career but joined the band for Kavarna Rock Festival 2012.

DEEP PURPLE are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. They are considered one of the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock although their musical approach has changed over the years. Originally formed as a progressive rock band, the band shifted to a heavier sound in 1970. Together with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they have been referred to as the "unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid-seventies". They were listed in the 1975 Guinness Book of World Records as "the globe's loudest band" for their 1972 concert at London's Rainbow Theatre. They have sold over 100 million albums worldwide, including 8 million certified albums in the US. They were headliners at Kavarna Rock Festival 2013.

DELAIN is a Dutch symphonic metal band formed in 2002 by former Within Temptation keyboardist Martijn Westerholt. They were headliners at Kavarna Rock 2015.

DIO DISCIPLES are a band formed by legendary Ronnie James Dio's friends to honor and celebrate his talent and spirit. They performed at Kavarna Rock in 2012.

Dirty Purchase Group was founded in 1995 by Hristoslav Galileev "Galio" as a club formation at the restaurant "Swingin 'Hall" in Sofia. Along with their regular club appearances, Dirty Purchase gave concerts on many Bulgarian and international stages. They are also winners of the first prize for a song in the BNR competition "Golden Spring". All of the staff are recognized professionals and participate in many different projects. In February 2016, Dirty Purchase released their first original album "Sweet Sensation", which is already sold on the Bulgarian market.

DOKKEN are a band that has numerous hits, decades of uninterrupted presence in radio charts, 4 Grammy nominations, and over 10 million copies of their albums sold worldwide. They were part of Kavarna Rock 2012.

DORO PESCH was born in Dusseldorf, Germany. She is a former vocalist of heavy metal band Warlock. She is one of the few ladies among the performers of metal in the 1980s. Pesch began her career as part of Snakebite, but left in 1983 to join Warlock. In 1987, following the release of Warlock's fourth album - Triumph And Agony - most band members had changed and what should have been the fifth Warlock release became the first Doro album. Doro was part of Kavarna Rock 2013.

DOWNER KILL are a Bulgarian band formed in the beginning of 2011 in the town of Plovdiv. They have kept their lineup since the end of 2011. The band has been influenced by the work of Asking Alexandria, ParkwayDrive, Paramore, Avenged Sevenfold, among others. They took part in Battle of the Bands in 2014.

EUROPE is a Swedish rock band formed in Upplands Väsby, Stockholm in 1979. They are one of the most successful Swedish bands of all times also due to the fact that they have sold over 10 million copies of their albums worldwide. They were headliners at Kavarna Rock 2014.

FOOL CICLE are a Bulgarian band playing modern hard rock and metal. They were part of Battle of the Bands at Kavarna Rock 2015.

GOTTHARD is a Swiss hard rock band founded in Lugano by Steve Lee and Leo Leoni. On 5 October 2010 Steve Lee – founder and vocalist of the band died in a car crash. In 2011 the band announced its new vocalist - Nic Maeder. The band were part of Kavarna Rock Fest in 2013.

GLENN HUGHES is an English rock bassist and vocalist, best known for being part of the third and fourth line-ups of legendary English band Deep Purple in the 1970s. After the break-up of the band in 1976 Hughes began his long-term solo career with a brief interruption when he joined Black Sabbath for their 1986 album Seventh Star. Hughes performed for his fans in Bulgaria at Kavarna Rock Fest in 2012.

GUS G was born in Thessaloniki, Greece in 1980. He is a heavy metal guitar virtuoso and is associated Firewind, Ozzy Osbourne, Arch Enemy and many others. He was part of Kavarna Rock in 2014.

HELLOWEEN are a German power metal group formed in the early 1980s. The band is considered a pioneering force in the power metal genre and one of its most successful representatives. In 1988, after the European leg of Keepers Live tour, Kai Hansen – one for the band's founders – left Helloween and later founded Gamma Ray. Helloween were headliners at Kavarna Rock Fest in 2014.

HAMMERFALL is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was formed in 1993 by guitarist Oscar Dronjak and drummer Jesper Strömblad. They visited Bulgaria for the 10th edition of Kavarna Rock Fest in 2015.

HAMMERHEAD are the Bulgarian tribute to Metallica and were special guests at Kavarna Rock Fest in 2015.

HATEMODE are a Romanian band from Bucharest formed in 2014. They were part of the Battle of the Bands contest in 2015.

JORN LANDE is one other greatest titans of rock music. His strong distinctive voice and solid skills as lyricist have become exemplary in the world of hard rock. He is well-remembered as the frontman of Masterplan – the German power metal band who scored stunning success worldwide.

Jorn Lande's voice was part of Kavarna Rock Fest in 2014.

KAMELOT is an American power metal band from Tampa, Florida, formed by Thomas Youngblood and Richard Warner in 1991. Norwegian vocalist Roy Khan joined Kamelot for the album Siége Perilous, and shared songwriting credit with Youngblood until his departure in April 2011. On June 22, 2012, Youngblood announced on their website that their new vocalist is the Swedish singer Tommy Karevik, who was first featured on Kamelot's album Silverthorn as vocalist. As of 2015, Kamelot have released 11 studio albums, 3 live albums, 1 DVD, and 11 music videos. They have had two distinctive appearances at Kavarna Rock over the years – in 2012 and 2015.

KROKUS was founded in Solothurn, Switzerland in 1975 by bassist (and original lead vocalist) Chris von Rohr and guitarist Tommy Kiefer. Former TEA vocalist Marc Storace joined the band as frontman in time for their Metal Rendez-vous album in 1980. They were part of Kavarna Rock Festival in 2014.

KONKURENT is a Bulgarian band founded in 1986 by Emil Anchev. Over the years they have had hundreds of gigs in Bulgaria and abroad and have taken part in many radio and television shows. Several of the most famous Bulgarian musicians started their careers with Konkurent. So far the band has released 7 studio albums, 3 live albums and are considered one of the leading rock bands in the country. They were part of Lovech Rock Fest 2016.

KIKIMORA are a Bulgarian rock band from Sofia. They were part of Lovech Rock Fest 2016.

LIEVEIL are a Bulgarian band formed in the sea capital of Varna. They were part of Battle of the Bands in 2015.

LIZZY BORDEN are an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. They were special guests at Kavarna Rock in 2012.

MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP is a guitar-oriented hard rock band formed in 1979 by former Scorpions and UFO guitarist, Michael Schenker. In the period 1986 - 1992 the band was known as McAuley Schenker Group because Schenker wanted to keep the initials of the original band. They were part of Kavarna Rock Fest in 2012 and guests for the special edition on 6 May 2014 to celebrate Kavarna municipality day.

The formation was founded by Lenko Draganov - drummer, composer and sound engineer, Iliya Tenev - keyboard instruments and Ivan Ivanov - bass guitar. The young guitarist Nikola Panchev is the last to join. Together they travel around Bulgaria and play at popular live clubs and jazz festivals. Their program is influenced by names such as Brian Culberton, Jeff Lorber, Richard Eliot, Grover Washington and Michael Lington.

Militsa Gladnishka - vocals
Vasil Spasov - piano and vocals
Mikhail Yosifov - trumpet and vocals


Militsa Gladnishka was born in the city of Sofia in a musical family, from which she inherited her talent and love for the stage. Her mother is the only female trumpet player in Bulgaria, and her sister is a violist at the Graz Opera. She graduated from NATFA "Krastyo Sarafov" with a degree in "Acting for Puppet Theater" in the class of Plamen Kyorlenski, and at the same time she studied opera singing with Reni Penkova.

In 1998 he appeared at a casting for a show program for singing waiters at the Opera Club in Sofia, where he worked with Galya and Miro from "KariZma", Orlin Pavlov, the singer Toni and the pianist Zhivko Petrov. In 2003 he took jazz singing courses in London, then a master class with Milcho Leviev, followed by concerts at the Bulgarian National Radio and the Bulgaria Chamber Hall, performances in Vienna and Graz.

Militsa is especially popular for her participation in the first and very successful season of the show "Like two drops of water" (2013), where she competed for the grand prize with Rafi. Until recently, she was among the biggest favorites of the audience, and the incarnations in her images of a number of popular figures from the Bulgarian and world scene, remain forever in the "golden fund" of the show.

PRETTY MAIDS are a Danish hard rock/heavy metal band from Horsens, Denmark. Formed in 1981 by Ronnie Atkins and Ken Hammer. They were part of Lovech Rock Fest in 2016, Kavarna Rock 2014, and Kavarna municipality day on 6 May 2015.

Petar Salchev was born in 1969 in the city of Plovdiv. Well known not only to the audience in the Balkans, but also on the European stage. In 1994 he won the award for best young performer from "Youth Jazz Meeting", Plovdiv. In 2009 the Greek company "Anokato" released his project with Costas Maginas "The Call". He is a soloist of the Big Band of the National Radio and the Big Band Plovdiv. He has worked with Zhivko Petrov, Milcho Leviev, Teodosii Spasov, Petar Petrov, Oliver Yosifovski, Costas Maginas, Marius Pop, Craig Bailey, Olivier Gato. Guest on the stages of all jazz festivals in Bulgaria. He has given concerts in England, Germany, Austria, Denmark, USA, Turkey, Greece and Romania.

As a soloist of Octet Plovdiv he presents himself with his characteristic style in the means of expression of contemporary jazz singing and making music. It has dynamics, style and intellect. In their new program in 2020, the musicians have prepared not only interpretations of classical jazz themes, but also original contemporary music from the last author's project of the octet, recorded this year.

RAGE is a German heavy metal band, formed in 1984 founded by Peter "Peavy" Wagner. They were part of Lovech Rock Fest 2016.

RENEGADE are a Bulgarian rock band from Plovdiv formed in 1999. They were part of Kavarna Rock Festival in 2012.

RHAPSODY OF FIRE was created 1993 by Luca Turilli and Alex Staropoli as Thundercross. In 1997 they released their first album Legendary Tales. Their music is combination of classic, Baroque, and metal forming a new genre known as Holywood Metal because of its resemblance to film music. They were part of Kavarna Rock Fest in 2012.

SABATON is a power metal band, Grammy nominees, formed in 1999 in Falun, Sweden. The Swedish word Sabaton is for the shoe in a knight's suit of armor. The band's main lyrical themes are based on war and historical battles. They were part of Kavarna Rock 2014.

SCARLET AURA are a Romanian band founded in 2014 in Bucharest. In 2014 they took part in Kavarna Rock Festival 2014 Battle of the Bands and won first place with the vote from the audience. In 2015 they came to Sofia as supporting band for Accept.

SEVI was founded in January 2012 by Svetlana Bliznakova – Sevi (singer and composer) and Rali Velinov (bassist and composer) who had previously collaborated on different solo projects. They took part in the Battle of the Bands in 2014.

SIGNAL are a Bulgarian rock band formed in Sofia in June 1978 by Yordan Karadzhov, Hristo Lambrev, Rumen Spasov, and Georgi Kokalanov. They recorded their first album Vechen Krastopat/Eternal Crossroads in 1979. In their 30-year long career they have released 11 studio albums and have had thousands of gigs. They were special guests at Battle of the Bands in 2014.

STRYPER are an American heavy metal band formed in California in the 1980s. They were part of Kavarna Rock in 2012.

THUNDER are an English rock band who play hard rock and heavy metal. They were part of Kavarna Rock in 2013.

TIARRA are a symphonic gothic metal group from Romania, formed in 2004. Their style features elements of darkwave, doom, death and progressive metal. They were part of the Battle of the Bands contest in 2014.

TWISTED SISTER are an American heavy metal band from New York, USA. Their work can be described as a blend of Alice Cooper's shock rock, the rebel attitudes of the new wave in British heavy metal, and the extravagant looks of glam rock bands. Although the band was founded as early as December 1972 by guitarist Jay Jay French, all their songs since 1976 have been written by vocalist and band leader Dee Snider. He is the one who described Twisted Sister as "Slade meet Sex Pistols". They were headliners at Kavarna Rock Fest 2015 – the only and latest appearance of the band at a large-scale forum in Bulgaria.

UNISONIC is a German hard rock/power metal supergroup, founded in 2009 by former Helloween singer Michael Kiske alongside Dennis Ward, Kosta Zafiriou, and Mandy Meyer, who were later joined by the unrivaled Kai Hansen. They released their first studio album in 2011. In 2016 they were headliners at Lovech Rock Fest and were also part of the 10th anniversary edition of Kavarna Rock in 2015.

VERIGA are a rock band from Moldova who took part in the Battle of the Bands contest in 2015.

From the mid-90s until today, Vlatko has developed an extremely successful solo career. Some of his more famous projects are "Cowboys & Indians", "Sarajevo", "Vlatko Stefanovski Trio", "Thunder from the blue sky". His partnership with Miroslav Tadic sheds new light on Vlatko's work with acoustic guitar and his in-depth research into traditional Macedonian music. In recent years, Vlatko has played and recorded with top artists such as Tommy Emanuel, Stochelo Rosenberg, Theodosius Spassov, Tony Levin. Composes music for films, theater and ballet productions. As a soloist, Vlatko has in his history numerous performances with orchestras and ensembles around the world. Some of them are the London Symphony Orchestra, the MDR Leipzig Orchestra, the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sofia Symphony, the Slovenian Philharmonic, and the RTV-Serbia Big Band. Stefanovski is well known to the audience for his unique playing technique and tone. With his trio, "Vlatko Stefanovski Trio", he gave concerts all over the world. In 2007 Vlatko was awarded the title "Doctor Honoris Causa" in the field of art by the University "St. St. Cyril and Methodius", Skopje.

WILD CHILD are a glam metal band from Russia who took part in the Battle of the Bands contest in 2015.

WITHIN TEMPTATION is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded in April 1996 by guitarist Robert Westerholt. They were headliners at the 10th-anniversary edition of Kavarna Rock Fest in 2015.