Cosmic Voices of Bulgaria Choir

Cosmic Voices of Bulgaria Choir

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This is TOM on Radio Bulgaria and today we offer you magnificent Bulgarian choral music with the Cosmic Voices of Bulgaria Choir. In a special interview for Radio Bulgaria, the group’s conductor Vanya Moneva told us more on her career, on the ups and downs, achievements and happiest moments on stage. And along this, recordings included in various musical projects of the group.
This is one of the most remarkable collections of Bulgarian folk music compiled by the Swiss music producer Marcel Cellier, internationally known for his Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares project presenting Bulgarian traditional music.

When she first had the opportunity to work with the choir, Vania Moneva was still a student at the Pancho Vladigerov Music Academy in the class of Vasil Arnaudov.

"It was in the early 1980s. Prof. Arnaudov told me that the Female Choir of the Bulgarian National Radio was looking for an assistant conductor", Vania Moneva recalls. "This is how I went to one of their rehearsals. At that time, the conductor of this magnificent group was Zdravko Mihaylov. I was delighted to see so many famous singers - Nadejda Hvoineva, Pavlina Gorcheva, Kalinka Zgurova, Kalinka Valcheva, Yanka Rupkina, Olga Borisova, Kremena Stancheva and many other - a true galaxy of famous names. I sat in a corner of the small hall and when they started signing, I felt like a tiny speck compared to the infinity of this powerful sound. At that moment I knew exactly what I wanted to do – I wanted to conduct a female choir. I was captivated by the beauty and power of the bulgarian voices and by the spontaneous production of the sound. I was assistant conductor for one season. Mr. Mikhailov had to go abroad and left me several songs to rehearse. He told me to not to start work only on one song Bre Petrunko, a difficult score of composer Krassimir Kyurkchiyski. Like any young person however who loves challenges, it awakened in me quite the opposite desire. As soon as he cloes, I opened the scores of this song. I was seeing this song for the first time. I remember how happy I was when I was applauded by the singers after its performance. In the course of the work, I became close with all singers and I learned much from them. They asked me to notate the songs they wanted to offer to the music fund of the BNR. The performers were from all regions of Bulgaria and I had to put to paper different ornaments. Thus I was introduced to the secrets of Bulgarian folk songs."

Ten years of Vanya Moneva’s professional biography are related to Kazanlak where she led the famous Choral School at the time. She conducted children’s and academic groups, enriching her repertoire with works containing Bulgarian folk elements. In the early nineties, the Bulgarian National Radio announced a competition for conductor of the female folk group with which she has already worked. She earned the competition and was for several years conducting the Women's Choir until its closure. At the same time, she set up the group with which she has been working to this day.

"In 1994, along with manager Emil Minev, we decided to create a female choir. We called it "The Cosmic Voices of Bulgaria" because of the Bulgarian folk song Izlel e Delio Haidutin which flies in outer space. And it is also because of my deep conviction that Bulgarian land is associated with good cosmic energies. The only way one can explain how so much beauty could be gathered in a handful of earth. And what makes Bulgaria famous around the world are the beautiful voices and the rich folklore of our country. We started with a group of established singers then we included very young ones but filled with a desire to develop. Currently, my singers are between the age of 19 and 30. They are all extremely well prepared, with great voices."

Malka Moma is a song from the joint project of the Cosmic Voices and Bulgarian virtuoso kaval (shepherd’s flute) player Teodosii Spasov with his trio. The idea for this joint project was born during a tour in Canada. “The music is interesting and innovative”, Vanya Moneva says.

Here is more from conductor Vanya Moneva:
"We’ve had many wonderful moments on stage. Once we sang to the accompaniment of an Australian didgeridoo in the Netherlands and to the accompaniment of twelve harps in a concert in Sofia. In fact, all our concerts bring us much joy from the contact with the audience. I love the freedom of music-making and I give freedom to my girls, as well. They know they have to trust me so that I might be able to lead the artistic process. We perform the songs each time differently. This is the most important quality of our group, I think. We interpret the song on stage, we create a new rhythm and tempo, and ultimately, a new feeling."

The choir also participated in a yet unreleased project of Georgi Borisov Band, jazz singer Yildiz Ibrahimova and the Cosmic Voices of Bulgaria Choir – one of the songs included there is entitled "Rhythm-A-Ning".

At the end of last year, Mrs. Moneva received another award - the Golden Book awarded by the Council for Cultural and Scientific Community. The award is given to individuals who have contributed to the development of Bulgarian culture. And Vanya Moneva is certainly one of them.

Translated by Rossitsa Petcova

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Cosmic Voices of Bulgaria Choir

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