World-famous Bulgarian singer Valya Balkanska turns 70

published on 1/18/12 10:18 AM

Photo: BGNES

World-famous Bulgarian singer Valya Balkanska turns 70

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The Bulgarian singer, whose unique voice flies in outer space on board the US space shuttle Voyager, has recently turned 70.

Born on January 8, 1942, in a tiny hamlet in the heart of the Southern Rhodope Mountain, Valya Balkanska now lives in the nearby town of Smolyan. She lost her father when she was only two, as he was killed in the Second World War, but she knew that when he started singing, the whole mountain was shaking. She first appeared on stage when she was only 8, and since then her repertoire has grown to incorporate dozens of the free-floating, life-affirming folk songs from the Rhodope Mountain. In a duo with bagpipe player Petar Yanev, she has received invitations for concerts across the world and says that, to this day, she has never lost the thrill and excitement to sing and perform live.

“Age does not matter – what matters is to be young at heart”, the singer says.
She celebrated her 70th birthday on January 8th with only her family and closest friends. Here is what she told Radio Bulgaria before her anniversary:
“I have several new songs and I intend to record a new CD for my anniversary. On my birthday, I want not simply to invite people but to unite them. I want them to come to have a glass of wine and be happy simply for being together, to respect and love each other and do beautiful things. I feel happy for the achievements of all Bulgarians”, Valya Balkanska says.

Valya Balkanska's musical career is closely linked to the folk ensemble in the town of Smolyan. For over 27 years in this group, she sang hundreds of songs that have gripped audiences worldwide. She was the regular performer at all important folk music festivals in Bulgaria, and especially at the most large-scale forum of this genre – the National Festival of Bulgarian Folklore held annually in the town of Koprivshtiza.

Valya’s international fame is due to her stellar moment back in 1977 when her performance of the folk song “Izlel je Delyu Haidutin” was selected among another 250,000 songs from across the globe. The golden record entitled Music from Earth was put onboard the space shuttle Voyager 1 that is on an interstellar mission and will soon cross the physical boundaries of the Solar system according to data from the interplanetary station Cassini. This Bulgarian folk song is among the few musical works from Europe on this disc, along with a composition of Bach, an aria from Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute and Chuck Berry’s rock’n’roll hit Johnny B. Goode.

Today, Valya Balkanska’s name is well-known internationally, there is even a day dedicated to her in Seattle. She is a widely recognized and sought-after singer with a unique chance to have her her voice fly to infinity. But her achievements have never changed the humble person she is. With her characteristic modesty, she loves to say: “I am a person who has stepped firmly on the ground. I want to stay as I am - the wings of fame are beyond me. I don’t feel proud that I was the singer who recorded the song that flies in space - if it was not me, it would have been done by another singer. I rather take pride in the fact that a Bulgarian song has conquered the earth and skies”.

In March 2011, Valia Balkanska was supposed to make a tour in Japan, but because of the accident at the Fukushima power plant, it was postponed. After a second invitation from the Japanese authorities arrived later, she did not hesitate to embark on the tour in May. Together with bagpiper Peter Yanev, the duo have 8 charity concerts in Tokyo and the Tokyo prefecture. The raised sum of hundreds of thousands of yens was donated to the Japanese Red Cross. During her tour in Japan, Valya visited the shelters where the homeless Japanese were temporarily accomodated after the quake and tsunami disaster. "The spirit of these people, their culture and national identity became apparent after the tragedy. They are a unique people from whom we can only learn”, the singer says. Each concert in Japan ended with the performance of a Bulgarian dance folk music. The interest in Bulgarian culture was great and everyone knew of the Rhodopean song flying in outer space.

Translated by Rossitsa Petcova

По публикацията работи: Valya Bozhilova

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World-famous Bulgarian singer Valya Balkanska turns 70

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