Todor Tsachev is a music teacher at the St. Paisii Hilendarski School and founder of the Marching Stars school band in the town of Zlatitsa. He is a graduate of the National School of Music and the National Music Academy. Six years ago, Todor came to us with the idea for a marching band in Zlatitsa, after he had knocked on many doors. “Everyone would say bravo, very nice, but they wouldn’t invest in it. In this life, I really want to do something of value, something real for Bulgaria.”
When Todor Tsachev decided he wanted to start the first marching band in Bulgaria, he found the courage to do so through his love for Bulgaria and its children, the music and the American Marching Band model.
According to him, a man can tailor his own hat* – Todor says he’s done that twice. The first time was when he decided to start an orchestra and began buying instruments with his own savings. He ended up with 16 musical instruments and no students – not a single child enrolled in the span of several months.
What followed is an unusual path – from the overcrowded apartment filled with unused musical instruments, the decision to return to his hometown from the capital city of Sofia, to the unexpected proposition for a contract and the nationwide success that followed after the band’s participation in Bulgaria’s Got Talent TV show.
Once again, Todor tailored his own hat – this time for real. One would think ordering hats for marching band uniforms from a professional hatter in Bulgaria is a safe bet. However, when Todor received the sample hat for the marching band’s uniform, it turned out badly. That’s when Todor designed his own technology and made the hat himself – and has been making every hat for the band uniforms ever since.
Proud father of three kids (and a fourth on the way), Todor and his Marching Stars now travel the country and inspire audiences with their enthusiasm and optimism about Bulgaria.
*in Bulgarian the phrase “to tailor one’s own hat” means to make your own decisions and actions with consequences one can’t foresee.
