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Vasil Garvanliev

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Vasil Garvanliev

Vasil Garvanliev (Macedonian: Васил Гарванлиев; born 2 November 1984), known professionally as Vasil, is a Macedonian singer. He was due to represent North Macedonia with the song "You" in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam before the event was cancelled. Instead, he represented North Macedonia in the 2021 contest, this time with the song "Here I Stand".

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. 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).

In 1997, at the height of the Kosovo War, he moved with his parents and his brother to the United States with the family as refugees. He became a member of the Chicago Children's Choir from 1999 to 2003. 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. 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 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. After he returned to Macedonia for family reasons, he was not allowed back into the United States. He moved to Milan and London with musical prospects and eventually to Toronto, Canada in 2004 on a scholarship.

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 an 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.

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 graduated from Calgary Opera's Emerging Artists program. 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 spent more than four years in the Young Artist Program as a 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. For many years, and until 2016, he continued to serve as a guest artist with the Chicago Children's Choir.

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 represented North Macedonia in a number of classical music events. Originally a bass-baritone, he also started singing as a tenor.

Alongside his career in classical music, he also tried to develop a concurrent 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 for pop music by trying to represent Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 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 was placed 13th in the competition and failed to represent Macedonia in Eurovision. Karolina Gočeva winning the contest went on to represent Macedonia with the song "Mojot svet".

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