Dimitar Nikolov, a versatile conductor, pianist, and educator, has conducted choirs and orchestras in the United States and Europe.  Audiences have been impressed by his ability to energize the ensembles he conducts and to produce a unique sound within large dynamic range. He has held conducting positions in the US and his native country Bulgaria, including his current positions as Music Director/Conductor of the Baltimore Philharmonia Orchestra and the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra. Dimitar has served as Music Director/Conductor for church, community, and university choirs, among them the Washington International Chorus, the women’s chorus of the Waldorf University, the Burgas Opera chorus, and the Unity Center of Light chorus. He has conducted concerts in some of the most prestigious world concert halls such as The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The National Theater, Mozart Hall (Vienna, Austria), and The National Palace of Culture Concert Hall (Sofia, Bulgaria).

As a pianist, Dr. Nikolov has performed many piano recitals, chamber music recitals, and appeared as a soloist of orchestras in the US and Bulgaria.  Dimitar has significant experience as a church musician.  Before becoming the Music Director of the AELC, he worked for the First Baptist Church of Kent Island, Stevensville, MD; The Unity Center of Light, Bowie, MD; The First United Methodist Church, Lincoln, NE; and the St. Nicholas Christian Orthodox church, Sofia, Bulgaria. 

Dimitar Nikolov has a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from the Catholic University, a MA in Music from the University of Northern Iowa, and a BM/MM from the National Academy of Music, Sofia, Bulgaria.  Currently, he works as a piano teacher for the International School of Music, as well as in his own piano studio (Dr. D’s piano studio), in addition to his jobs with the AELC and his two orchestras.  He lives in Annapolis with his wife Nicole and their dog Mecho (a very energetic American Eskimo).