Francis Guy

Francis Guy graduated from the National Music Academy “Pancho Vladigeroff” of Bulgaria in 2004, earning a BA in Music Education (2003) and an MA in Musicology/Choir Conducting (2004). He studied with esteemed conductors and composers like Vassil Kazandjiev, Georgi Robev, and Dimitrar Christoff. He holds two PhDs: one in Musicology and Musical Art from The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, and another in Opera and Orchestra Conducting from New Bulgarian University.

Balancing concert activity with research, Francis has explored orchestral music using ‘free bar-line notation’ by composers such as Pierre Boulez and Giya Kancheli. He has conducted concerts across Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, and Poland, participating in prestigious festivals like the Sofia Musical Weeks International Festival (2015) and Varna International Summer Music Festival (2017). He collaborates annually with Sinfonietta Sofia, working with notable artists including cellists Emilia Baranowska and Anatoli Krastev.

As the founder and conductor of The Commandaria Orchestra, Francis promotes symphonic, chamber, and operatic repertoire related to Greek mythology and European medieval history. He teaches Music Analysis and Orchestra Conducting at European University Cyprus and collaborates with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra.

Source:

1. “Commandaria Orchestra.” The Cyprus Wine Museum. Accessed July 1, 2024. https://www.cypruswinemuseum.com/commandaria-orchestra/.