The Academy of Music and Dance in Plovdiv commenced its existence in 1964 as a branch of the located in Sofia Bulgarian State Conservatoire of that time. The foundations of this initiative were laid by the renowned Bulgarian musician and vigorous figure of culture Professor Asen Diamandiev. A significant merit for the implementation of the idea is rendered to Professor Vladimir Avramov and Professor Aleksandar Neynski, Chancellors of the Bulgarian State Conservatoire at that time.

In 1972 the Branch was reformed as an independent Higher Institute of Music and Pedagogy. That was the time to begin the education of the specialists in music and folklore, by means of which the mission of the new higher school attained unique nature. Professor Asen Diamandiev was elected to be its first chancellor.

In 1975 the education of specialists in choreography began, which in 1995 naturally resulted into a new rename of the higher school, this time into Academy of Music and Dance. Shortly afterwards, the education in the sphere of fine arts began. This quite naturally assumed the present image of the Academy as the Academy of Arts today. AMDFA is one of the four schools of arts in Bulgaria and the only one located outside the capital. It is among the first higher schools in Bulgaria to receive the regular state institutional accreditation (in 1998), as well as an accreditation for all academic subjects that the students are majoring in. In 2006 again it received an institutional accreditation with the highest rating "Very good".