Singing with the Pazardzhik Ensemble Choir

Dina here. The last three days we've spent in Pazardzhik, Tzvetanka's home town, and made a dream of mine come true: Singing with the women's choir of the Pazardzhik Ensemble. Tzvetanka used to direct this choir when she lived here, and is still a respected guest teacher when she's in town. I got to visit a workshop she did with them two years ago, and was so blown away by the sound of these women that I decided I needed to somehow connect them with Dunava.

So here we are! For the past three days we've been rehearsing together, lead by Tzetze, learning new songs and synching up a couple we all know to sing together. The goal was to perform at the annual village festival in Patalenitsa nearby, but the end was secondary -- the means was the actual point. Just sitting next to these talented singers with strong voices was an education in itself. These women are professional in the truest sense -- they rehearse four hours a day, five days a week, and are paid. (We're told the salary is not high enough to make a living, so all singers have other jobs, teaching or performing with other groups, or non-musical professions.)

This is such a great highlight of our trip. We've heard many true "village" ensembles, who preserve the music and singing in its traditional form; and here is a professional ensemble, which turns the village-style music into a refined art form. The original style is preserved, but the voice is trained. Plus, the multi-part arrangements are stunning, and there's nothing like singing a chord of stacked major and minor seconds and holding it at full volume!

We also had Tzvetanka to ourselves for a couple hours, where she talked more about Bulgarian singing technique and style, taught a four-part arrangement of a popular Shope duet, and at the same time bounced Eleanor so Meredith could focus on singing:

And outside of rehearsal there were other adventures: A visit to Plovdiv, a visit to the Pazardzhik zoo, some shopping, lots of ice cream (Raffy is our favorite brand!)... and of course the festival in Patalenitsa! I wonder who will blog next... :-)