NEXT-LEVEL SYNTHESIS

Synth Symposium continues, bigger than before

The last time we spoke with Konstantin Petrov–Kei about the Sofia Synth Symposium, the occasion was a small but perfectly formed event which was a part of Kombinat Fest and was hosted at Resonator. That was in the summer of 2024. Now we fast-forward to the summer of 2025 (specifically June 14 and 15) to talk about how Synth Symposium has transformed into something bigger: a festival/expo for makers and manufacturers of innovative electronic musical instruments —an event which has no equivalent in Eastern Europe.

The new edition now runs on four “engines,” and—at the risk of mixing Transformers and Voltron metaphors—each of the four is a different force of nature, and together they bring the Synth Symposium up to the next level of the game. Mihajlo Nikolić–Misa from Resonator is the power of organization and space; Emil Hristov–Sekko is the master of marketing and promotion; Tsvetomir Krumov from Backpullver Software and Resonator’s Electronics Lab modestly calls himself “the tech guy”; and Konstantin Petrov–Kei is the beating heart of the original Sofia Synth Symposium and the one with the global network of contacts in the synthesizer world.

The concept behind Synth Symposium ’25 is that of a symposium-style event, analogous to Superbooth in Berlin and Soundmit/Torino Synth Meeting in Turin. The daytime program includes an expo with manufacturer booths, plus workshops, demos, and informal interactions revolving around music, instruments, hardware, and software—all of it hosted in the welcoming Resonator space. The evening program spreads across venues like Atelieto and TABA Record Store, where the electronic instruments become catalysts for small but avant-garde music events. Over the two days, around 300 visitors browse the booths of five exhibitors and have the chance to participate in several lectures and creative workshops. (More on those in a moment.)

Emil explains more about the concept and business model of Synth Symposium: “The idea is to attract both creators of innovative musical machines and established brands—mastodons like Ableton, Akai, Korg—who can present their new products or showcase some very cool vintage machines.

People should meet, try the machines, and then follow up when they decide to buy an instrument or begin a collaboration.”

This video could not be found.

German and Tsvetomir from Backpullver Software develop audio software and musical instruments such as the successful Vatanator. For small companies like theirs, events such as Synth Symposium are a natural habitat—they offer direct contact with the artists who will actually use their products. Tsvetomir says: “One of Backpullver Software’s main goals is to collaborate with artists, instead of sitting alone and inventing things that musicians can’t actually use.” German adds: “I’m really happy that something like this is finally happening in Bulgaria—I think there was a huge need for it.”

Love Synthesizers is an Icelandic company from Reykjavik, currently completing prototypes of several synthesizer models before going into production and sales. For them, Synth Symposium mirrors their own design philosophy: “The synthesizer world right now is a very innovative place—there’s a lot happening and people are on the lookout for something new.

Everything we make is designed around direct interaction: leap straight in, start engaging with the instrument, start playing—no fussing with endless settings. Work intuitively—everything should be at your fingertips from the very first second.”

Our conversation with the German-Bulgarian company Rides in the Storm—makers of modular synthesizers and multifunctional devices—touches on another important aspect of events like Synth Symposium: the social one. “We work for geniuses—and geniuses like staying at home, they don’t like going out, they’re not very social. But when you give them a reason to come out, to show up, to be here—connecting with them becomes the most important thing.

Ivan Shopov (Cooh) is one of the leading figures of the European electronic underground. At Synth Symposium, Ivan—who has also spent the last ten years teaching analog and digital sound design at the National Academy of Arts—took on the role of teacher/mentor, leading a creative workshop titled “Creativity Without Limits.” “After so long on this scene, I’m not as fascinated by sound design itself anymore—I’m more interested in sharing the message about what can be done with these technologies: unlocking and sharing the creative process.”

Next to him was Carmen Rizzo, a legendary producer and artist from Los Angeles— a two times Grammy-nominee who has collaborated with artists ranging from Coldplay and Paul Oakenfold to Ryuichi Sakamoto and Pete Townshend. “I’m older, so I’ve seen many different stages of this scene’s development. And now I see that people, for various reasons, often work very much alone. I feel there’s a lack of community—people could meet and gather much more. So when I heard what you’re doing here and how you’re spreading the gospel within the local community, I really wanted to be part of this… this “amazing nerd fest”, as I call it.

Sound Nunja—whom we’ve previously written about in the context of the Sound Lab at Resonator—were also part of the Synth Symposium program. “Sound Nunja is a music academy with a large community around it, of which we’re very proud. We’re in our tenth active year as an academy, offering courses in music production, mixing, mastering, and DJing.

Our students usually work with software, and as everyone knows, hardware has its own unique spirit and inspiration. Usually, if you want to learn to use a controller, for example, you have no other choice but to watch YouTube videos—but events like this give people a chance to try out many more instruments and become much more confident in their choices afterwards. I would love to see Synth Symposium grow to the point where representatives of the most popular, widely used brands join—and expand so much that Resonator can’t contain it anymore and it needs to spread into other venues.”

And yes—half a year after Synth Symposium ’25, and half a year before the next edition (already scheduled for June 12–14, 2026), this is the perfect moment to talk about the aims and ambitions of the symposium: “We expect more exhibitors—from Europe, Australia, and the U.S. We want to attract makers of innovative musical machines, as well as established manufacturers and major brands, together with their Bulgarian distributors. We’ve compiled a list of about 200 potential exhibitors we’ve contacted with invitations. We’d also like to attract more visitors from neighbouring countries, so that Resonator can fully step into its role as a regional hub for creative industries. For the evening program, we’re looking at natural allies such as the Toplocentrala terrace, and in the longer term we’re considering a residency program between each two Synth Symposiums—with a company presenting its products and an international artist working with them under the umbrella of Synth Symposium and Resonator.”

The next edition of Synth Symposium will take place June 12–14, 2026.

More about Synth Symposium: here and here.Special information for exhibitors: here.

Resonator is the first place in Bulgaria offering access to shared high-tech workshops, labs, and halls specially designed to inspire innovation, hands-on learning, and collaboration—as well as an inspiringly equipped space for workshops, lectures, presentations, and festivals.