As Bulgaria earns a name for itself on the concert tour map, stars old and new are coming this spring and summer.

April 7 sees a concert by ethno-rock band Blackmore’s Night. Founded by Richie Blackmore, former guitarist of legendary bands Rainbow and Deep Purple, the band will perform at Sofia’s National Palace of Culture. The concert is part of the band’s East European tour to Sofia, Budapest, Bucharest, and Belgrade, and will features numbers from the two albums released by the band in 2006. Tickets are between 20 and 50 leva and have been on sale since February.

This year’s International Jazz Festival will see three great performances. The first will be by Icelandic Jazz-Funk band Mezzoforte on April 18 at the National Palace of Culture, Hall 1. This will be the band’s second visit in a row. In April 2006 at the same venue, 2500 spectators vociferously demanded encores as the two-hour gig drew to a close.

De Phazz, one of Europe’s most fascinating jazz formations, are at NDK’s Hall 1 on April 21, their first visit to Bulgaria. The band was formed in 1997 by German producer Pit Baumgartner. Jazz, Latino, disco, soul, gospel, Cuban rhythms, reggae, trip-hop, drum and bass are among the influences that have shaped their music. In Sofia, they will perform some of their greatest hits and tracks from their new album “Days Of Twang” which was released on March 23 2007.

World-famous bass guitarist Marcus Miller, dubbed the “soul of bass” will round off the jazz festival with a performance at NDK on May 18. Miller, who won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album of 2001, will be visiting Bulgaria for the first time.

George Michael gives his first performance in Bulgaria on May 28. His show at Sofia’s Lokomotiv stadium will be part of his extremely successful 25 Live Tour. The concert is also a show of support for the Bulgarian medics facing the death penalty in Libya because of the alleged deliberate infection of hundreds of Libyan children with HIV. Michael will arrive in Bulgaria together with a 150-member crew and a huge amount of equipment. Ticket prices will vary between 50 and 70 leva and organisers said that part of the proceeds are to be donated to the ongoing campaign for freedom of the nurses.

Already on sale are tickets for another big name, Australian band INXS. The concert is scheduled for June 1 at Sofia’s Akademik stadium. Prices are between 30 and 60 leva. The band will feature new lead singer JD Fortune as of 2005 (who took on after Michael Hutchence died in 1997).

Legendary heavy metal band Iron Maiden has also confirmed a visit to Bulgaria. They are scheduled to perform on June 4 at Sofia’s Lokomotiv stadium as part of the summer music festival Arena Muzika. Tickets went on sale on March 7 in Sofia, Bourgas, Sliven, and Veliko Turnovo with prices between 30 and 60 leva.

Alternative rock band Placebo, who last performed in Bulgaria in autumn 2003, will appear at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia on June 18.

The now-traditional Kaliakra Rock Fest in the coastal town of Kavarna is scheduled for June 28 to 30. The town has made a name for itself by hosting a number of big-name concerts in recent years.

Heaven and Hell will be the first band to perform at the event, Kavarna mayor Tsonko Tsonev said. Heaven and Hell will feature vocalist Ronnie James Dio and Black Sabbath members Toni Iommi and Geezer Butler and drummer Vinny Appice. Heaven and Hell is a music collaboration of current Black Sabbath members Iommi, the band founder and Butler along with former members Dio and Appice. The band will have only two concerts on the Balkans, one in Kavarna and one in the Greek capital of Athens.

British heavy metal band Motorhead will perform on June 29 2007. Motorhead will arrive in Bulgaria a day before the performance using a private aircraft and will stay in a five-star hotel, avtora.com reported. The band’s performance will be part of its European tour dedicated to promoting its newest album, Kiss of Death. Tickets, at 30 leva, went on sale on March 23. Motorhead are considered creators of street and trash metal music. The band was founded in 1975 and is a Grammy winner.

Robert Plant, formerly the lead singer for Led Zeppelin before going solo, has a concert on July 6 at 8pm at Kaliakra stadium. This is Plant’s second stint in Bulgaria after he visited the country in 1998 with another of the Zeppelins, guitarist Jimmy Page.

US star Pink, one of the most eccentric and talented artists to emerge in recent years, holds her first Bulgarian concert on July 1, at Sofia’s Akademic stadium at 8pm. Like Iron Maiden’s concert, Pink’s is part of the Arena Muzika annual summer music festival. Tickets cost between 30 and 50 leva, with first 3000 being at the promotional price of 20 leva. They went on sale on April 3 and apart from Sofia, tickets are on sale in Plovdiv, Sliven, Bourgas and Veliko Turnovo.

Jazz icons George Benson and Al Jarreau perform in Sofia at the National Palace of Culture on July 19. Organised by Jazz FM radio, concert tickets went on sale on April 2 at the promotional price of 90 leva up to June 1. The concert will feature the duo’s Grammy-winning Givin’ It Up joint project.