In Radio Bulgaria’s Timeout for Music we will present young folk singer Ivelina Dimova.

© Photo: private archive

Ivelina was born in 1984 in the town of Plovdiv, but grew up in the Danube town of Silistra, where her parents, both musicians, came from. Her mother has a beautiful voice and her aunt Snezhana Ivanova is a professional singer with the Dozrudja Ensemble. There is a professional choreographer in her father’s family. Ivelina’s entire childhood was spent at different folk concerts that charmed her. Her mother spotted her talent first and encouraged her joining to the Dobrudjanche Ensemble in Silistra. She attended with the formation different folk festivals in neighbouring Romania and Serbia and felt the magic of stage. Ivelina worked for some 5 years with Vessela Cherneva, a teacher at the Kotlen Music School and the Music Academy of Plovdiv. She learnt from Dobrudja singers Dimitrina Kuneva and Galina Durmushlyiska and was already sure that singing was her vocation. In the period 1998 – 2001 Ivelina won four consecutive top prizes at the Folk Singing category at the National Children’s Folk Contest in Varna, the Slaveiche radio contest in Stara Zagora, the Orpheus Spring national folk contest and the BNR radio competition, named Early Sunday.

After high school Ivelina graduated from the Sofia University as a pedagogue expert in musical training. She made her initial BNR recordings of folk songs in 2004 with the arrangement of Hristofor Radanov.

The Filip Kutev Ensemble spotted her beautiful deep voice and as of 2003 she joined its choir, becoming later on a soloist of the formation. “The ensemble and its three sections – choir, orchestra and dancers, is a very professional one and fans from across the globe appreciate its level. I have visited exotic Japan, France, Great Britain, Russia, Israel and others with the ensemble,” the singer says.

In 2007 Filip Kutev visited again 20 cities and towns in Japan after the 2005 success. Ivelina was impressed by the warmth of the audience, by the organization, the respect, shown by the Japanese. The young singer gives us further details on her work:

“I work with the Filip Kutev Ensemble, but I am also a conductor of the Sofia Folk Choir with the Badnina community center. As of 2010 I joined the Glagortsi folk formation and I also sing at the Kovachnitsata formation for Bulgarian folk songs. Teaching gives me pleasure and satisfaction, I have made real friends at Glagortsi. The YDIT quartet was recently created by three colleagues and me – Yulia Gatderova from the Pirin Ensemble, Darina Zlatkova and Tanya Miteva from Filip Kutev. We create our repertoire now and we hope to see big stages and performances. Recently, on May 8, I took part in a Ruse-held concert, we expect the celebration on the occasion of composer Filip Kutev’s 110th birth anniversary. The Springs premiere will take place on the day he was born, June 13th.”

Ivelina’s favourite hobbies include reading and taking care of her home. She is interested in anything, related to beauty and harmony in the family. The young singer is really interested in contemporary folk music issues. She enjoys the work of young musicians that combine ethno and jazz elements, updating tradition and getting it closer to their coevals. Of course, traditional singing should be preserved the way Valkana Stoyanova, Verka Siderova and Nadka Karadjova did it…

English version: Zhivko Stanchev