Filip Koutev belongs to the second generation of Bulgarian composers. He was responsible for the music activities in the army and for the cultural activities at the Central House of the Bulgarian National Army in Sofia (1948-51). In 1951, together with his wife Maria Kouteva, he founded the State Ensemble for Traditional Song and Dance (the today’s Philip Koutev National Folklore Ensemble), with which he set the beginning of the Traditional Music Choirs and Ensembles movement. He remained the ensemble’s Chief Artistic Director to the end of his life and contributed to its brilliant professionalism and its worldwide fame. He also chaired the Union of Bulgarian Composers (1954-72) and he was awarded a lot of prestigious prizes and State orders.