A violinist responds with dignity to US deportation

We reported yesterday that Yuliyan Stoyanov is about to be deported with his wife Smiliana and two US-born sons to Bulgaria after 14 years of study, teaching and orchestral performance in the US.

It appears all avenues of appeal have been exhausted. Yuliyan has posted this beautiful and dignified parting message to friends and colleagues:

Dear friends,

Thank you so much for your support and kind words! They mean so much to us! If there is one thing we will miss the most, that will be the people, the wonderful friendships we have made in the U.S.

Smiliana and I choose to look at this turn-around in our lives as an adventure, as an opportunity. After all, who gets a chance at the age of 36-40, to quit everything they are doing, step back, rethink their life and start anew? With everything we learned at the University of Cincinnati and the experience we gathered through the years, we both are very confident that our work will be valued anywhere in the world.

We will keep working on the project to create high quality online violin education, so more and more people, even in places where there are no teachers and schools available, are given the opportunity to learn to play this beautiful instrument. We feel so fortunate to have two healthy, smart, and energetic boys, who give us a lot of joy and motivate us to keep going.