Carolina Feuerharmel Ribeiro‘s face is always lit up with a warm smile reminiscent of the generous Brazilian sun. It was music that brought her to Bulgaria.

“I am a Brazilian born in Sao Paulo. I studied the violin at the local university. There I met a violin professor who had lived in Bulgaria, Evgenia-Maria Popova.  We got on very well together. She invited me to study at the National Academy of Music and in 2007, I came to Bulgaria”, Carolina says.

She has continued her studies for a doctorate at New Bulgarian University with violinist Prof. Mario Hossen. More about career prospects for musicians in Bulgaria, from Carolina Ribeiro:

“It is a question hard to answer. For the time being I have decided to stay in Bulgaria. I play in various orchestras, give music lessons and teach at private schools. There are many opportunities for work in this field. I recently traveled to Australia – it is a huge country but it has 5 to 6 professional orchestras all in all. Here in Sofia we have more orchestras. On the one hand this is great. On the other hand you cannot play in only one orchestra. To be able to earn a decent income one has to work very hard.”

Carolina has played in almost all big orchestras in Sofia. She has been on an internship at the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra and has also worked for the Sofia Philharmonic and Camerata Orphica. Since 2012 she has been member of the Classic FM orchestra, and since this year has been part of the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the National Academy of Music.

Carolina Ribeiro has come to Bulgaria because of music while at the same time many Bulgarian musicians leave this country to work in Brazil. There are Bulgarian instrumentalists in the orchestra of Sao Paulo and in the city of Manaus in the northern part of the country about half the orchestra’s members are Bulgarians, Carolina says with a smile.

What are the similarities and differences between Bulgarians and Brazilians?

“We are impulsive just like you. We are emotional and we communicate freely. In Brazil – maybe due to the hot weather, people are calmer, and here some are a bit too nervous. But this is due to the temperament”, the Brazilian argues.

Due to the similarity in temperaments Carolina is readily accepted by Bulgarians. The language is not a problem, she learns foreign languages fast.

“It was more difficult to get used to the different way of life”, Carolina says. “I come from Sao Paulo, a city with four times the population of Bulgaria. We are 25 million people in one city. Everything there is huge, with huge shopping malls and queues everywhere. Everything is miles away. I was used to that way of life. Since I came here I have been walking a lot. In the beginning this was a bit confusing; it felt strange but now I like it. I love walking to work, to the greengrocer’s. Life here is more easygoing, more human, you know. That’s why I am satisfied with my life in Bulgaria. I am aware that there are people who live difficult lives but this is also the case in Brazil, unfortunately.”

Carolina’s hobby is cooking, and she is an absolutely brilliant cook. This passion took her to the Master Chef TV reality show. She feels almost Bulgarian now but keeps in touch with her home country and often travels to visit it. Her boyfriend is Brazilian, and in fact she met him in Bulgaria. She says that the community of Brazilians in this country has increased:

“Not long ago we were twenty something people including the staff of the embassy. I think we are now 50 or even 70. Some are musicians. Recently people have arrived to work in big international companies and call centers. Such jobs do not necessarily require a university degree but are well paid here, in Bulgaria. And given the financial crisis in Brazil, many decide to emigrate. Besides, Sofia is an awesome city! I admire it. And has become very lively of late, with bars, restaurants, theaters and concert halls. People find this appealing and they feel tempted to come over and have a try.”

English Daniela Konstantinova