“…the playing of the IPO under Stilian Kirov was consistently impressive—polished, strongly projected, and bristling with virtuosic energy. As Kirov begins his third season as music director, it is clear that the young maestro is taking his southwest suburban orchestra to a new and exciting level.”

– ...

“…the playing of the IPO under Stilian Kirov was consistently impressive—polished, strongly projected, and bristling with virtuosic energy. As Kirov begins his third season as music director, it is clear that the young maestro is taking his southwest suburban orchestra to a new and exciting level.”

– Lawrence A. Johnson | Chicago Classical Review

First Prize Winner of the “Debut Berlin” Concert Competition, prizewinner at Denmark’s 2015 Malko Competition as well as the 2010 Mitropoulos Competition, Stilian Kirov made his debut at the Berlin Philharmonie in 2017. He is currently Music Director of the Illinois Philharmonic and the Bakersfield Symphony. A former Music Director of Symphony in C in New Jersey (2015-2020), he is also a recipient of numerous Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Awards (2016-2019).
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Highlights of Mr. Kirov’s guest performances include appearances worldwide with the Israel Camerata, Xi’An Symphony, Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra, Sofia Philharmonic, Leopolis Chamber Orchestra/Ukraine, Orchestra of Colors/Athens, Orchestre Colonne/Paris, Sofia Festival Orchestra, State Hermitage Orchestra/St. Petersburg, Thüringen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Zagreb Philharmonic, the Musical Olympus International Festival in St. Petersburg, and the Victoria Symphony/British Columbia, among others.

In the United States, Mr. Kirov has collaborated with the symphonies of Seattle, Memphis, Chautauqua, Omaha, West Virginia as well as the Amarillo Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra/Breckenridge, and the Tucson Symphony and the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Stilian Kirov assisted distinguished conductors such as the late Bernard Haitink with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as well as Stéphane Denève, the late Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Christoph von Dohnányi, and the late Andrew Davis, all with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Kirov is a graduate of The Juilliard School’s orchestral conducting program, where he was a student of James DePreist. He has also studied with the late Kurt Masur, Michael Tilson Thomas, the late Gianluigi Gelmetti, George Manahan, Robert Spano and Asher Fisch, among others.

Also a gifted pianist, Stilian Kirov was Gold Medalist of the 2001 Claude Kahn International Piano Competition in Paris.

Ben Dettelback is currently Principal Trombone of The Syracuse Orchestra and Instructor of Trombone at the Syracuse University Setnor School of Music. Ben also served as Principal Trombone of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra (Ithaca, NY) from 2018-2024 and has performed with groups such as the Buffalo Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic/...

Ben Dettelback is currently Principal Trombone of The Syracuse Orchestra and Instructor of Trombone at the Syracuse University Setnor School of Music. Ben also served as Principal Trombone of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra (Ithaca, NY) from 2018-2024 and has performed with groups such as the Buffalo Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic/Oratorio Society, Skaneateles Festival, West Point Band, Princeton Symphony, and American Institute of Musical Study in Graz, Austria.

Ben appeared as soloist with The Syracuse Orchestra and Maestro Lawrence Loh performing the final movement of L. Grondahl’s Trombone Concerto during the 2022-23 Season. He was also named a finalist in the 2018 International Trombone Associations Alto Trombone Competition. Ben can be heard alongside Brad Kerns, David Seder, and Clint Woltering on the 2024 trombone quartet album titled “Goldberg Variations, BMW 988” as well as the 2020 Naxos American Classics recording “Bernstein Songfest” with the National Orchestral Institute and James Judd.

In addition to his teaching duties at Setnor, Ben is the founder and director of the Setnor Slides Trombone Ensemble and has presented masterclasses at Ithaca College, Binghamton University, and Colgate University. Ben also served on the orchestral faculty of the 2023 Varna International Music Academy.

Ben received a Bachelor of Music and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music followed by a Master of Music from Yale University where he studied with Larry Zalkind and Scott Hartman respectively. Ben is currently working towards a Doctor of Musical Arts back at Eastman.

When not playing trombone, Ben can probably be found hanging out with his cat, Kimchi.