People call her a Rhodope nightingale and have made the singer an honorary citizen of Smolyan for her 50^th jubilee two years ago. Zlatina Uzunova has deserved it with a whole life devoted to Rhodope songs – both as a soloist with the Rodopa Ensemble and as a pedagogue at the local community center. Her voice is strong – it overwhelms a bagpipe. Her songs are tough, men’s songs, but full of female sensitivity and lyrics, typical for the local style. Those thrill the audience and cause standing applause – for instance, at a wedding at the famous Georges V Hotel in Paris, or back in 2005 in Canada. Zlatina received 7 encores by the English audience for her solo performances in the town of Bath, during a festival of world’s greats. These unforgettable tours with the world famous choir The Great Bulgarian Voices /conductor Ilia Mihaylov/ took the singer on stages across Europe, Canada, Russia… Her songs have been included in a series of CDs of the formation, which has Grammy, Grand Prix and other awards.

Zlatina Uzunova was born on 22 May 1962 in the village of Erma Reka near the Rhodope town of Zlatograd. At the age of 12 she started singing with the Orpheus children’s folklore ensemble. She has graduated the Shiroka Laka music school and then has won 6 gold medals at different fests as its soloist. Later on the singer went on with pedagogical studies at the Plovdiv University. She became a soloist of the Rodopa Ensemble – Smolyan, of the Sofia ladies’ choir, named later on The Great Bulgarian Voices. Her first TV movie was screened in 1993, while her own album of Rhodope renditions with the name Zharava ot Zvutsi /Glow of Sounds/ was released in 2000. The Memory of Bulgaria album, purposed for the Rozhen gathering also has her songs included in it. The Rhodope song needs lots of air, power, it is a deep and strong feeling, Zlatina says. It has its beauty with the sounds of kaba bagpipe, or an orchestra, but the singer opts for the bagpipe.

Zlatina Uzunova is an established pedagogue as well. She has been leading three formations for Rhodope folklore over the past 7 years at the Hristo Botev Smolyan community center. Two years ago those celebrated their jubilee with a big concert. The Great Bulgarian Voices choir arrived exclusively for the 50^th jubilee of the singer, the Rodopa Ensemble participated either… “I was really thrilled and touched, but the concert went well. 50 years are not so many, but not too few as well… As a person I grow old, just like anyone else, but as a musician I continue to develop myself, remaining linked to the Rhodope song and Bulgarian folklore,” the singer says and adds:

“One can do anything, if he or she wants it. I have been traveling between Smolyan and Sofia for 25 years, in order to work with The Great Bulgarian Voices choir. I feel wonderful and I am not tired yet, since we have to preserve our Rhodope songs and everything that’s Bulgarian. We can be proud of our folk music, we can say – that is who we are, Bulgarians!”

English version: Zhivko Stanchev