When symphony conductor Stefan Nedyalkov first visited Tokyo as a child in 1977, he had a premonition. He awoke in his hotel room one morning, convinced that he would return to Japan someday and live here. He was 11 years old at the time and a member of the children's choir of Bulgarian National Radio.
Even after he returned to his hometown of Sofia, though, the influence of Japan was never too far away. His father, Bulgarian composer and conductor Hristo Nedyalkov, frequently hosted dinner parties for Japanese musicians, composers and intellectuals. In 1995, Emperor Akihito awarded him the distinguished Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette medal, the highest nonpolitical award given to foreigners, for promoting cultural relations between Bulgaria and Japan.
The younger Nedyalkov shares not only his father's gift for music but also his fascination with Japan. Since that first visit to Tokyo, he has toured Japan 11 times, either in conjunction with the children's choir, or accompanying his father on concert tours.