Tour retrospective: Pazardzhik

Olivia reporting!

Our first stop in Bulgaria was Pazardzhik, a small city on the Upper Thracian Plain about 45 minutes west of Plovdiv. We were there to work with Tzvetanka Varimezova, the world-class singer, teacher, and conductor who I’m sure needs no introduction for most of our readers, and who was born and raised in Pazardzhik. Tzvetanka had arranged a big concert that weekend with us, the Pazardzhik Ensemble, and Usmifka choir from Denmark. She and her husband Ivan Varimezov, the accomplished gajda player, had papered the town with posters ahead of our arrival.

Our hotel was in the pedestrian-only center of town, an area with gray stone streets, densely packed with little shops, and shaded by dark green catalpa and horse-chestnut trees. Nearby was the central plaza with big fountains that lit up with neon colors at night, and the quaint-looking Old Post Office clock tower.

We had one evening to settle in and chow down at the local pizza place, and then it was time to get down to business.

The next morning, after a trip to the local bakeries and a café (where I learned perhaps my most important Bulgarian phrase, “oshte edno cappuccino, molya!”), we crammed into Dina and Meredith’s hotel room for a pre-rehearsal rehearsal. Since Raia and I hadn’t been with the group in Serbia, this was our first chance to run through everything as a full group before it would be heard by professional Bulgarian singers and another foreign choir. The nerves were palpable all around. Could we pull off Oj Mori Kavale in time? Did we even remember Sednalo E Dzhore Dos? We were down three strong low voices without Jen, Steph, and Chapin—did a few of us need to volunteer to take up smoking for the next few days?

Maybe it was the sight of twenty-some-odd smiling Danish women in beautiful dresses pouring out of our hotel that evening that first started to dissolve the anxiety. As a big, chattery, foreign clump, we moseyed over to the youth center auditorium, where Tzvetanka and the ladies of the Pazardzhik choir received us warmly and gathered with us for our first group rehearsal. We started with warmups and a runthrough of Dragana i Slaveja with all three choirs. Then it was our turn to get up and sing our solo pieces. In this case, I think the pressure to bring our “A game” was good for us: I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt us listening to each other so carefully. We just needed to dial up the volume a bit more: “Hug the audience with your sound!”, Tzvetanka urged us.

Then we had an opportunity to rehydrate and fan ourselves a bit and enjoy the other choirs’ material as they did their runthroughs. Usmifka brought some big, complex arrangements that showcased the range of their singers and the size of their group beautifully. The Pazardzhik choir were powerhouses, as expected. We’ve all spent hours listening to recordings of the great professional folk choirs of Bulgaria, but being in the room with them and having their sound vibrate through your body is an experience on a whole other level.

Each pair of choirs also had an opportunity or two to sing together in the concert lineup. We got to learn little tweaks to familiar songs as we all adjusted to meet each other halfway on a harmony here or a pause there. It was fun to stand among singers we had never met and feel an instant connection created by the songs we knew in common.

There was a sweet moment at the end of rehearsal where the directors of the choirs all got up and stood together, hand in hand. After hearing all the groups, we felt an even greater appreciation for how these talented leaders have brought us together, kept us disciplined, and helped us do justice to the musical traditions we all value so much.

The next evening was the concert. One more quick runthrough of the program, some practice clomping up and down the risers, and a change of clothes, and it was time to perform.

In short, it went great. Some kind audience members shared videos of the big group songs with us later, and we were very happy with how they turned out: 

• Dragana i Slaveja
• Brala Moma / Sednalo E Dzhore Dos

For me, besides the joy of getting up on stage with old and new friends, and blending my voice with a wall of other women, the highlight was experiencing Tzvetanka as a conductor. She was clear, expressive, often playful, and her energy connected with every singer in the room and locked us in to the sound and emotion that she wanted us to convey to the audience.

Afterwards, we migrated to Roni restaurant for an afterparty. There was much to celebrate: a successful concert, Tzvetanka’s 65th year of life, and the surprise conferment on her of the highest honor of the Bulgarian National Theatre and Culture Association, the Crystal Necklace, at the end of the concert. At long tables crowded with drinks and plates of food, we mingled, traded birthday songs, and danced until closing time.

The pressure and excitement of the concert behind us, we got to breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy two more days of workshops with Tzvetanka, who gave us one great song after another that we can already tell are going to be solid additions to our repertoire. We also managed a side trip to Plovdiv to wander among the ruins and shops and stuff ourselves with palachinki, and a relaxing afternoon at the nearby mineral baths, at the foot of the Rhodope Mountains.

On Sunday evening, we joined the weekly folk dancing in the town square. Hearing a familiar rhythm, Jenny started a line, and a little local girl ran over with her mother in tow, roaring “DJANGURITSAAAA!!!” and joined in, followed by a string of other local dancers. Looks like there’s international agreement on which dance in 9/8 is the most fun!

Looking back, even after the gorgeous glassy seas of Burgas and the excitement of Koprivshtitsa, Pazardzhik was my favorite place that we visited in Bulgaria. Being able to really sink in to local life for a few days, and having such a warm and close musical community around us, was a truly special experience for me that made the whole trip.

Tour retrospective: Our bus driver!

Hello! We are back from our trip, but we still have some memories to share. This one from Meredith!

When we visited Bulgaria eleven years ago, Dunava spent a lot of time traveling from place to place on our tour bus. This gave us ample time to connect with our driver, Neno. Neno was boisterous and gregarious with an ample supply of Bulgarian dad-jokes. Soon after we met, he told us to call him "Dedo" (grandpa). He was especially taken with our youngest member, my baby E, who was four months old at the time, and whom he would serenade with a song called "Eleonora Moja."

This year as we planned for our tour, we were informed that Dedo Neno had retired and would not be able to drive us. This was disappointing for those of us who traveled with him in 2014, but understandable, seeing as a decade had gone by. We looked forward to meeting a new driver, knowing that no one could replace Neno.


The Bulgarian portion of our tour began in Pazardzhik. We had a very early start the day we were to travel to our next location. Dunava and entourage, with much eye rubbing and yawning, were waiting when our bus pulled up. The door opened and a spry, suntanned gentleman stepped out singing, "Eleonora moja..."

I was surprised by how emotional I became as we were reunited with Neno. Was it the ungodly hour of the morning? Perhaps. But meeting Neno again reminded me of our last trip, and of the challenges and joys of traveling with my infant daughter, who is rapidly growing into a young woman. I joyfully shared photos of E, and Neno pulled out our CD and a postcard we gifted him on our last tour. It was a wonderful way to connect on a personal level.

Neno drove us from Pazardzhik to Burgas, and from there to Strelcha (where we'd stay while visiting the folk festival in Koprivshtitsa). To say good-bye, he brought his wife and granddaughter to our hotel for breakfast on our last morning in Strelcha. (I guess they wanted to know what the fuss was all about with these American women!)

Dina reporting. 

Whew! Well, that's Belgrade almost done. After three action-packed days, we're off to our next destination tomorrow: Pazardzhik, Bulgaria!

What did we learn in Serbia? We had intense workshops with two master singers of Serbian folklore, Svetlana Spajic (who rearranged our molecules and took us deep through pronunciation, tone production, expression, coordination between lead and accompanying voices, the works) and Sanja Rankevic (who provided a broad spectrum of repertoire, including a deliciously crunchy Ganga, and all of it enhanced by some demonstrations with her university students). 

In short: This isn't like Bulgarian singing at all. ;-) 

Personally for me, it's a little intimidating feeling like a rank beginner again. But at the same time it's exciting to get such a treasure trove of material to discover and work on, and I can't wait to really internalize it and work on it and make it Dunava repertoire.

But right now, it just feels like my brain is full (and I think it's the same for all of us). We've got a nice collection of recordings and videos to review, and at least tomorrow is "just" a travel day, so we have a little time to process. 

I think there were other non-workshop adventures had by others -- such as Fiore searching high and low for trubachi (Serbian brass band), only to stumble on some at a wedding a block from our hotel. Jenny, Merdith, Ramona, Tedy and I went exploring and came upon a street where every restaurant featured a live band serenading guests (it reminded me a bit of Beale Street in Memphis, but -- Serbian!). We ate ceasar salad covered with bacon, "aromatic potatoes" that turned out to be french fries, and discovered the butter-cream hybrid kaymak. (Which needs to stay faaaaar away from me, omg it's the most delicious stuff ever.) And yes, of course: meat. Svetlana fed us an abundant lunch on our last day with her, including a big plate of sausages and ham and meatballs, and lepinja bread. Oof. 

Our teachers and everyone we met was so kind and generous and encouraging. We'll definitely be looking for opportunities to connect with Svetlana and Sanja again. 

Belgrade, Workshop 1

 Hello, this is Jenny. So far, it’s not too hot here — thanks to whatever science happened to make it so!

We're doing it again!

Hello, world! It's Dunava!

We are not regular bloggers, and does anyone even still read blogs these days...?

But we are about to head back to the Balkans, and so we'll revive this online journal to keep our friends at home appraised of our adventures. 

Our trip is from July 28 - August 11, and during that time: 

• We'll spend 3 days in Belgrade, studying with two master singers and educators: Sanja Ranković and Svetlana Spajić
• We'll then head to Bulgaria to study with Tzvetanka Varimezova, who is also organizing a concert with us, the Danish choir Usmifka, and the choir of the Pazardzhik ensemble
• We'll travel to Burgas to meet for personalized lessons with Ana Borisova
• We'll visit the festival at Koprivshtitsa and will perform on the stage in the center of town!

That's what we have planned so far, but more is in the works. We're so excited!

Here's a photo of Tzvetanka during a visit to Seattle last year:

A zillion thanks to our very generous community, who is making this trip possible with some significant financial support. We are so lucky to have such dedicated fans and friends! 

A Musical Journey

Ramona writing.

Now that everyone has returned and is settling into their normal rhythm here in the Northwest, it is time to process the massive and somewhat overwhelming amount of music we were able to record along our journey. I would like to take the time to describe some of this for our audience as not everyone will be able to hear our new pieces in the November Town Hall concert and we will be able to present only a fraction of what we learned.

Many of you know that through my family, I have been listening to Bulgarian folk music since I was born and have been several times to the country. I wasn't introduced to the arranged choral music made so famous throughout the world by Philip Koutev until after college.  Much of what I heard growing up came from old records of the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s; Balkanton, Jugoton, Radio Televisia (add location here), etc. Other music was from field recordings made or collected by various American folk dance teachers. Anyone who has listened to folk dance music of these eras can hear the difference between it and the arranged multi-voice pieces which grew in popularity at the same time.Village singers traditionally learned from other family members or others in their same village. Professionally trained singers study in music schools and learn to sing the styling from all regions of Bulgaria. When learning with one master teacher, we were told that professional singers needed to change their vocal quality in order to sing in extremely high and low ranges as well as to maintain their singing voices for hours at a time. Traditional singers might sing for gatherings, holidays and festivals, even hours at a time, but not daily and certainly not in extreme ranges for their "chest voice".

All this is to set the background for the astounding amount of variability in vocal music that comes out of one small country, both in terms of vocal production and in terms of regional style.  This variability, even the small fraction of which Dunava attempts to faithfully represent, is no small feat to produce. My goal for Dunava on this trip was to hear as much distinct music from the "source" as possible in order that we can have the same understanding of what music we are trying to present. In this, we were largely successful. In musical selection and vocal presentation we strive to be as accurate as possible. Collectively experiencing on this trip that we attempt to emulate two sources in Bulgarian vocal music, village and professional ensemble, not just one, was vital for our choir. Through the connections of our guides, our friends, and our own, we were immersed in a range of singing professionalism; from individuals singing only their specific villages's songs to small town ensemble members presenting regional medleys, to other small town choirs singing pan-Bulgarian favorites (as opposed to village specific songs), to members of the great and internationally acclaimed vocal ensembles. This is by no means meant to rank anyone's ability, but rather to highlight the difference in what people sang for us and taught us.

The first music we heard was in Sofia, capital of the country and center of the Shope region.  Two amazing components, the Mitevi brothers and 3 musicians (kaval/end blown flute, gudulka/bowed lira, and tambura/long necked mandolin) who play in the national orchestras, graced our evening. Everyone was fabulous. (Note: I shan't list all names in this post as they should all be noted in previous posts about these events. If anyone wants more detail, please contact us). The professional musicians were trained so well that they provided backup music for the two Shope singers on 1 or 2 songs, backup for Tsvetanka's Thracian songs, and then favorite instrumental pieces from all over Bulgaria.  The two singers (Shope singing is mostly done with a melody line and a drone), presented a selection of unarranged songs with close second intervals and a distinct kind of vibrato that is only sung in the Shope area. Listen to the clips so you can hear the types of music shared with us that night.

Audio Sample: Mitevi Brothers

In Varna, a city five hours drive east to the opposite side of the country on the Black Sea, our evening music was played by the talented group "Pendari",  headed, I believe, by Nikolai Doctorov. This group of musicians were also members of  Ensemble Varna (the city's professional music, vocal and dance troupe equivalent to Sofia's Koutev Ensemble).  Interestingly enough, until the musicians played tunes local to the Dobrudzha region, the music was remarkably similar to what we heard from the musicians in Sofia. Once we began to hear melodies like Zborenka, Varnenski Kjuchek, Danets, and Ruka, then the music and musicianship took on a very different flavor despite the use of the same instrumentation.

Audio Sample: Varnenski Kjuchek

In Sredets, a town in the Strandzha region of southeast Bulgaria, our music was noticeably different from the beginning. We spent the evening with part of the group "Bozhura", a men's choir with musicians. Their songs (as all songs in the east part of Bulgaria), are sung in unison. Here they were accompanied by only bagpipe and drum (gaida and tupan). Percentage-wise there are far fewer men's vocal groups in Bulgaria. Group singing is often presented by women even though many men sing as soloists. The only other men's group we heard, "Banski Starcheta", was in Bansko, a town in the far southwest of Bulgaria, and the two choirs couldn't be more different. Though they both presented songs traditional to their regions,  the vocal production, ornamentation, and all the little components that make up a each groups style have little in common with each other.

Audio Sample: Bozhura

Audio Sample: Bansko

The last musical group I want to share is the "Boyana Ensemble" from the town of Kostandovo in the northwest foothills of the the Rhodope mountains. The Rhodopes are in the south of Bulgaria but the range is large enough that music from Kostandovo has little in common with typical Rhodope music even though it is geographically in the same region. (Being on the northwestern edge, it it is also geographically close to the Pirin mountains (read Pirin music style) and the end of the Thracian plains (read Thracian music style). Rhodope vocal music is almost always sung by a single singer accompanied by a gaida. A few girls learned some Rhodope songs during our lessons in Kotel. The music we heard in Kostandovo had dumbek (small hand drum), accordion, and tambura. Always in two-voices, melody and drone, variations of both men's and women's groups presented Pomashko and Kostandovo village songs. To my less experienced ear, the music sounded Pirin or Macedonian, but there is a subtle difference that I am not yet clear on as to what makes the music Pomashko. Tsvetanka tried to explain something about chords and rhythms but it the rush of the moment it somehow still didn't click for me. Regardless of my ignorance, note the large distinction between this music and the rest you have hard so far.

Audio Sample: Ensemble Boyana

Now, let's move onto the choir music which we learned from professional singers in Varna, Kotel, Pazardzhik, and Sofia. Here, location matters less, as these women sing arrangements from all over Bulgaria. Each specializes in her own home region and may more often solo with pieces from their home region, but they are masters of all. We studied two medleys from the Shope and Dobrudzhan regions, and then many single region pieces from Shope, Thrace, and unknown or pan-Bulgarian arrangements. Here are two samples of us learning arranged pieces (which we are not currently going to perform).

Audio Sample: Ogrejala (with Tzvetanka Varimezova and Pazardzhik Ensemble)

Audio Sample: Mori Djulber Sevdo (with Sashka Chenkova and Abagar Quartet)

The original state music ensembles of the 1950s were modeled directly after Soviet choirs (e.g. the Soviet Pyatnitzy Choir) but have ever after taken on a life of their own with a beautiful range and depth of music that far surpasses their original inspiration. Nowadays, many youth study "national" music in both folk music schools such as the one we stayed at in Kotel and in larger universities throughout the country. As a result, their is a natural standardization that has happened even within regional styles, but at the same time, a far greater number of people with unbelievable musical talent. More about this can be read elsewhere but for Dunava's part, we were able to experience this passing on of folk music by studying with singers of several generations; long time director of the Varna choir, Yordanka Nadyelcha, the 20s-30s professional singers brought in to the Kotel school from the Abagar quartet, and then some middle schooler/early teens who helped teach us in Bansko).

And with the above final sound clip, I will bid our readers adieu and keep this post to a readable length. I hope you have enjoyed hearing some of the amazing variety of music which Dunava was able to experience in Bulgaria this summer. We hope to share as much as we can with you throughout this next year. If you are near Seattle, don't forget to come to our Town Hall performance on November 8th. We'll be presenting much new music there and you're sure to enjoy the wonderful venue.

Enjoy, and Happy Music Making!

Ramona and Dunava

Back in Seattle

Some of us have returned home and others are still exploring new places. Either way, we hope to continue to blogging as we recover from jet lag (takes about a week) and pick up the pieces of life here in Seattle.

Personally I've been through a lot of medical stuff in this past week, which I postponed so I could go to Bulgaria. I'll come out of in a few days.

To tide you over, here are photos of Jen and I sighing over an espresso vending machine at 5 am in the Sofia airport, and ooh-ing over our duty-free chocolates in the Frankfurt airport.