(b. 5 December 1949, Malko Tarnovo – d. 17 February 2011, Toronto, Ontario).
Bulgarian composer, later resident in Canada, of mostly orchestral and chamber works that have been performed in the Americas, Europe and elsewhere.
Mr. Tarmakov began to play piano at age five, but graduated from the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy in Sofia. He then studied composition with Zdravko Manolov and piano with Ruzhka Charakchieva at the Pancho Vladigerov National Academy of Music in Sofia and earned his MMus in both subjects.
Among his honours were the Prix Reine Marie José in Geneva (1984, for Folk Music), a scholarship from the Stichting Gaudeamus in Amsterdam (1985), a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture of Bulgaria (1991–92, for a stay at the Cité des Arts in Paris), and a prize in the competition TransforMusic in Budapest (2004, for With Feeling of the Beauty of the Tango). His music has been performed in Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Korea, Sweden, and Switzerland, including numerous times at the festival Musica Nova in Sofia and the festival Wien Modern, twice at the festival Moscow Autumn (1997, 2000) and once at the ISCM World Music Days (1997, Seoul).
He was also active in other positions. He worked as an executive producer for the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Sofia, a broadcast editor for Radio Bulgaria in Sofia, a répétiteur for the State Musical Theatre in Sofia, and a pianist for the Sofia Ballet School. He co-founded the section in Bulgaria of ISCM in 1991 and served as president of the financial board of the society of authors and composers MUSICAUTHOR in Sofia from 1991–94. In addition, he served as president of both the Society for Contemporary Music in Bulgaria and the steering committee of the festival Musica Nova in 2000–01.
He lived in Canada from 1999–2011 and was a dual citizen of Bulgaria and Canada from 2005–11.
In addition to the works listed below, he composed incidental music for stage productions.
SELECT LIST OF WORKS
ORCHESTRAL:
Symphony, 1980
City Tradition Melodies, trumpet, orchestra, 1986
Country Music, 3 percussion, orchestra, 1987
Present, large orchestra, 1990
With Feeling of the Beauty of the Tango, amplified violin, orchestra, 1995, revised 2004
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Folk Music, flute, clarinet, harpsichord, 2 violins, viola, cello, 1983
Rococo Music, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1984
Italian Music, clarinet, piano, 2 violins, viola, cello, 1985
Music for Seven Virtuosi, oboe, clarinet, trombone, viola, cello, piano, percussion, 1987
Music for Wind Quintet, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1988
Music for Eight Musicians, oboe, clarinet, trumpet, violin, cello, double bass, piano, percussion, 1989
Folk Magic, marimba, 1991
Music for Two, violin, timpani, 1994
A Little Thriller (with two Cadenzas and Finale), flute, harpsichord, 1995
Cadenzas and Ensembles, string quartet, 1996
There is Something, ...Inside Me..., clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, French horn, tuba, accordion, percussion, 2 violins, viola, cello, 2003
CHORAL:
Folk Music, 6 female voices, 1987
VOCAL:
Happening for a Single Singer, voice, 1992
Cantus Amoris, voice, clarinet, 1999 (also versions for voice, viola d'amore, 1999; voice, cello, 2001)
PIANO:
Sonatina, 1979
Minimal in G from 3/4 to 8/4 and...only 3/4 for the End, 1999
DISCOGRAPHY
Music for Eight Musicians. (Musica Nova Sofia: MNS 0001, 1996)
A Little Thriller (with two Cadenzas and Finale). (Musica Nova Sofia: MNS 0004, 1999)