Vasil Garvanliev

Vasil Garvanliev (Macedonian: Васил Гарванлиев; born 2 November 1984 in Strumica, SR Macedonia, SFR Yugoslavia), is a Macedonian child prodigy star, choir soloist, a classical opera singer and a pop singer. He is also known mononymously as Vasil. He was due to represent North Macedonia with the song "You" in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam before the event was cancelled.

Vasil Garvanliev
Born (1984-11-02) 2 November 1984
Strumica, SR Macedonia, SFR Yugoslavia
GenresClassical music, opera, pop music
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active1991–present
Associated actsTamara Todevska
Websitewww.vasilg.com

Beginnings

Child singer

Garvanliev started singing at the age of seven. He was discovered by a Macedonian composer who was passing by when he heard Vasil singing in the street.[1] At age eight he released an album that included the Japanese-influenced "Marionka" (in Macedonian Марионка) with lyrics about a beautiful Macedonian girl. In 1994, at age ten, he performed "Marionka" during the annual Macedonian children's song festival Zlatno Slavejče (in Macedonian: Златно славејче '94, meaning Golden Nightingale '94). His song became a popular and iconic children's song. Being a child prodigy singer, he gained great fame in Macedonia and throughout Yugoslavia with his concerts and tours. He repeated his performance of "Marionka" during the Jubilee activities titled "25 Years of the Golden Slavic" at the Skopje Universal Hall on February 23, 1996.

United States (1997-2004)

In 1997, in the height of Kosovo War, he moved with his parents and his brother to the United States with the family as refugees. He suffered bullying at school as he explained in an intimate interview with Wiwibloggs host William Lee Adams in 2020.[2] He became a member of the Chicago Children's Choir from 1999 to 2003. A multicultural and multiethnic choir, it had a repertoire of pop, soul, jazz.[3] He became a main soloist for the choir, had a debut at Carnegie Hall with Chichester Psalms and was a guest artist performing with Yo-Yo Ma and members of Chicago Symphony Orchestra. As soloist with the choir, he performed backing vocals with artists like Julie Andrews, Celine Dion, Nick Carter, New Kids on the Block, Nelly Furtado and Enrique Iglesias.[1] He also performed with the choir in the White House with President George H. W. Bush attending. He applied for a pan-American contest for a presidential music art scholarship. Winning the regionals in Chicago, he proceeded to the U.S. national finals where he was nominated for the presidential scholarship for opera studies. He had also applied to Juilliard School. But both prospects and a music scholarship in New York at the Manhattan School of Music[4] were abruptly severed when, following tighter immigration requirements in the wake of September 11 attacks, all his family members (both parents and brother) were deported for insufficient paperwork for U.S. citizenship.[1] After he returned to Macedonia for family reasons, he was not allowed back into the United States. He moved to Milano and London with a musical prospects and eventually to Toronto, Canada in 2004 on a scholarship.

Career

Classical / Opera

Trying to apply for music studies at the Royal College of Music in London, Garvanliev simultaneously auditioned in Milano where he studied briefly at La Scala Theatre Academy. Meanwhile his spot at the Royal College of Music had expired. He instead found opportunity in Canada at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto in 2004. He got a full music scholarship in Toronto at The Glenn Gould School. He went on to perform as a baritone in Canada.[5]

He attended The Glenn Gould School from 2004 to 2008, earning a performance diploma in Voice. At the University of Toronto, he earned a diploma in opera – voice in 2010. He is a graduate of Calgary Opera's Emerging Artists program.[6] He was a guest artist in Opera Atelier for nine years (2005–2014). He also took part in Highlands Opera Studio in Haliburton, Ontario, Canada (2009–2013) and more than four years in the Young Artist Program and guest soloist at the Calgary Opera in Alberta, Canada (September 2010 to November 2014). In May-June 2015, he was a finalist in the Montreal International Musical Competition. As a baritone in opera for 13 years, he sang over 50 lead roles.[3] For many years, and until 2016, he continued to serve as a guest artist with the Chicago Children's Choir.[7]

He lived in Canada for 10 years before returning to Europe and settling for a year in London in 2017 for additional training and in 2018 settled back in Macedonia. He signed with IMG Artists and represented North Macedonia in a number of classical music events. Originally a bass baritone, he also started singing as a tenor.

Pop and contemporary music

Alongside his career in classical music, he also tried to develop a concurrent a pop career. At the end of some of his classical music performances, he used to offer some contemporary music and jazz performances, gaining support and encouragement.

Having had an album at the age of 8, he returned to his passion of pop music by trying to represent Macedonia in 2007 Eurovision Song Contest, by taking part in the qualification rounds of the Macedonian national song competition Skopje Fest performing his self-written song "Pomogni mi" ("Help me"). He placed 13th in the competition and failed to represent Macedonia in Eurovision.[1] Karolina Gočeva winning the contest went on to represent Macedonia with the song "Mojot svet".

In 2016, he appeared on Chance the Rapper’s critically acclaimed Coloring Book album. He was credited as backing vocalist on four of the 14 tracks of the album: "All We Got", "Same Drugs", "How Great" and "Finish Line / Drown". The album incorporated gospel with hip hop, and was critically acclaimed and appeared on many music critics "best of 2016" lists. [1]

In 2018, he returned to his desire for develop a pop career by releasing "Gerdan" ("Necklace") in 2018, "Patuvam" ("Travelling") in 2019 and "Mojata Ulica" ("Welcome to my Street") in 2020, all accompanied by music videos.[8]

He recorded an album in the UK in 2020 but put the album project on hold when it was announced in January 2020 that he was going to represent North Macedonia in the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest.

Eurovision Song Contest

Garvanliev was a backing vocalist for the Macedonian entry "Proud", performed by Tamara Todevska, at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. The three-member backing vocals included Garvanliev, Aleksandra Janeva and Antonia Gigovska. The song won the jury vote, but finished 7th overall after taking account of the public vote.

On 15 January 2020, it was announced that he had been internally selected by the national broadcaster Macedonian Radio Television to represent North Macedonia in the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.[9] He was scheduled to perform song "You", written and produced by Nevena Neskoska alongside Alice Schroeder and Kalina Neskoska. Javier Lloret de Muller, Darko Dimitrov and Lazar Cvetkovski provided additional production.

The 2020 Eurovision event was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic in Europe.[9]

Personal life

Garvanliev is Macedonian. He also carries Bulgarian nationality through one of his grandmothers who had Bulgarian ancestry.[1] He sought refuge at a young age of ten in the United States after difficult conditions during the Kosovo War. He had a difficult life as his father, mother and brother were deported from the United States and had to return to Macedonia. Although initially Garvanliev was allowed to stay, when his father was jailed in Macedonia, he had to return as well in support. When he tried to come back to the United States, the U.S. Embassy informed him he couldn't. His father arranged to work in Italy as a day worker picking vegetables and died there in 2005. He later lived in Europe for music study mainly in Italy and the United Kingdom. He eventually settled for more than 10 years in Canada continuing a classical music study and career there.[10] His mother and brother are both fashion designers and live in North Macedonia.

Discography

Songs
  • 1994: "Marionka" (in Macedonian Марионка)
  • 2007: "Pomogni Mi" (in Macedonian Помогни Ми)
  • 2018: "Gerdan" (in Macedonian Гердан)
  • 2019: "Patuvam" (in Macedonian Патувам}
  • 2020: "You"
  • 2020: "Mojata Ulica" (feat. Davor) (in Macedonian Мојата Улица)

References
  1. Robin Gallagher (7 April 2020). "Vasil: 10 facts about North Macedonia's Eurovision 2020 singer". wiwibloggs.com. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  2. Wiwiboggs.com: Vasil Garvanliev - North Macedonia Eurovision 2020 | Interview with William
  3. It's Florin: Exclusive Interview With Vasil Garvanliev – North Macedonia 2020
  4. Richard Ouzounian (28 October 2011). "Poetry in motion — and some sex as well". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  5. Joe Fiorito (13 December 2006). "For young baritone, life has hit some low notes". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  6. Dawn Martens. "Vasil Garvanliev". Opera Canada. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  7. Linkedin: Vasil Garvanliev
  8. Eurovision Union: From backing singer to centre stage - Vasil Garvanliev to represent North Macedonia
  9. "North Macedonia sends Vasil to Rotterdam". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  10. Joe Fiorito (27 November 2006). "Vasil's long and lonely journey to Canada for the love of song". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Tamara Todevska
with "Proud"		 North Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest
2020		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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