He started dealing with music at the age of twelve and his talent was soon discovered by the great pianist Dimitar Nenov. In 1956, Angelov graduated from the first master class in conducting and composition of the Conservatory in the class of Vladi Simeonov. During two years he gave 11 concerts with the Symphonic Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio, where he was appointed for Second Conductor of maestro Vasil Stefanov. He recorded music by Russian composers and a part of the recordings were first performances for Bulgaria.
Between 1958 and 1960, Angelov made a post-graduate course in opera and symphonic conducting at the Moscow Conservatory “P.I. Tchaikovsky” with Prof. Boris Haykin, Chief Conductor of Bolshoi Theatre and Prof. Leo Ginsburg, from which he graduated ahead of schedule for two years with full distinction. At the same time, there were working Shostakovich, Rostropovich, Richter, Gilels. In 1959, he conducted a concert, dedicated to an Anniversary of Chopin, which ensured him more than 20 participations with the biggest orchestras of the former USSR. More than once Angelov conducted the Moscow Philharmonic, the Moscow Radio Orchestra, the Leningrad Philharmonic, the orchestras of Vilnius, Riga, Kiev.
After his return in Bulgaria, in the period 1961 – 1991 Mihail Angelov was appointed consecutively for Conductor, Deputy Chief Conductor, Chief Conductor and Director of the Sofia Opera. One of the founders of the Chamber orchestra “Sofia Soloists”, which with the time imposed itself as one of the leading Bulgarian music orchestras. He was Director and Chief Conductor of the opera theatres in Ruse, Plovdiv, Burgas and the Chamber Opera in Blagoevgrad. He was Chief Conductor of the Music Theatre “Stefan Makedonski”.
The opera and ballet repertoire of Maestro Angelov includes 49 titles, of which 17 he produced for the first time on Bulgarian stage. Among them are the first performances in Bulgaria of “Les Indes galantes” by Jean-Philippe Rameau, “Dido and Aeneas” by Purcell, “Der_Schauspieldirektor” by Mozart, “L’italiana in Algeri” and “La_gazza_ladra”, as well as “Stabat Mater” by Rossini with the Sofia Philharmonic, “Renard” by Stravinsky, “Stiffelio” by Verdi, “Khan Krum” by Alexander Yossifov, the ballets “Carmen” by Bizet-Shchedrin and “Suite en blanc” by Lalo. With “Semyon Kotko” by Prokofiev he was guest-performer at Teatro San Carlo in Naples.
Mihail Angelov conducted many works by Bulgarian composers like Alexander Raichev, Alexander Tekeliev, Marin Goleminov, Lyubomir Pipkov, Pancho Vladigerov, Alexander Yossifov.
He appeared as choir conductor of the choirs “Dunavski zvutsi”, “Kaval” and “Morfova-Prokopova”, with which he won distinctions at the international choir competitions in Llangollen, Arezzo, Amsterdam and Debrecen. He was guest-conductor of the Moscow and the Leningrad Philharmonic, the Orchestra of the Berlin Opera, the Zagreb Radio Orchestra, Bolshoi Theatre, Teatro Verdi in Triest, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Berlin State Opera, the operas in Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade, Istanbul, Ankara.
A co-operation of long years connected maestro Angelov with the professors from the Conservatory Prof. Hristo Brambarov, Prof. Ilia Yossifov and Prof. Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin. Students of Angelov are famous performers like Neli Bozhkova, Valerie Popova, Alexandrina Pendatchanska, Stoyan Popov, Ivan Konsulov, Boiko Zvetanov and Tsvetan Mihaylov.
For his 55 years creative activity Maestro Angelov has more than 2500 participations, which include opera and ballet titles, choir and symphonic concerts, oratorio works.
He is winner of the “Cyril and Methodius” Order – I degree and of all high distinctions in the field of culture in Bulgaria.
Son of the conductor is the opera singer Maria Dimitrova and the famous pianist Lyudmil Angelov. The second wife of the conductor was the famous opera singer Valerie Popova.