Smehat e Tuk /Laughter Is Here/, Usmihnata Pesen /A Smiling Song/, Valshebstvo /Magic/ - these are only some of the titles of the songs that you will hear in the new CD of the Smehorancheta /Smiling Kids/ children’s band. Some of the songs will sound over the next minutes and their melodies, voices and the enthusiasm of the children will make you smile for sure.

The smiles of kids and grownups are the best award for Smehorancheta and Mrs. Galya Kodzhamanova – a founder, leader and producer of the formation.

The new album’s title is also smiling – they have named it Smehoranski Sezoni or Smiling Kids’ Seasons. It is the 13^th in a row in the band’s history, if we don’t count Muzikalna Repeticiya /Music Rehearsal/ - a printed edition with a DVD.

“The album’s songs follow the four seasons – spring, summer, autumn, winter,” Galya Kodzhamanova says. “These are songs… I underline – songs, not tunes with their mood suiting the respective season. I do like Bosonogoto Momiche /Barefooted Girl/ - no matter that it is for quite bigger kids. It was one of the first pieces recorded. The album’s presentation is on June 8 at 7:30 pm and the spot is emblematic – the aula of the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. I am sure that our guest will remember that event for good. We will perform some of the songs from the album and the children will speak up a few words on those. We devote the premiere to disabled children. The Protegni Raka /Reach Out Your Hand/ Society is a co-organizer of the event."

“A colorful palette of artists” – that is what Galya Kodzhamanova says about the 15 people who created the music, lyrics and arrangements of the songs inside Smehoranski Sezoni. We read the names of composers Emil Strundzhev, Yordan Vladev, Maria Ninova, Bobi Mirchev /who wrote his own lyrics as well/. The arrangements have been signed by Alex Nushev, Valeri Kostov, Alexander Saveliev… The smallest singers are aged 3, the biggest – 12 and there are always former members of Smehorancheta around, who have established their own formations.

“Several bands of this kind were created with time,” Mrs. Kodzhamanova explains. “The name of the first was Emociya /Emotion/. The girls who used to sing there turned into stunning ladies a long time ago. It often happens – children grow up, but they wouldn’t want to go. At the moment we have 7 bands and we think of different funny names for them: we call the youngest The Pampers, then we have Young Cool Kids and Senior Cool Kids, while the oldest are The Vets – and the vets are aged only 12…”

Any travels abroad of Smehorancheta are a tough thing to organize due to the age of the participants. Still, they have their moments: a few days ago they visited Serbia for a while on the occasion of the DayOf Slavonic Alphabet, Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture – May 24.

“We had a joint concert on this bright day together with the St. St. Cyril and Methodius High School in the town of Tsaribrod. It was really useful for our children. We met with the Bulgarian community there and the audience was really responsive. Some of our soloists have attended different contests across many Bulgarian cities and towns over the past few years and you may find a lack of modesty here, but we always take the top prizes, followed by invitations for performances abroad. I was one of the strongest opponents of contests, but only fools fail to change, they say. This is experience, kids learn to compete. Still, festivals are better in my opinion and more sensible, as each leader may see his own spot among his colleagues there and the festive stage brings more joy to children…” Mrs. Galya Kodzhabasheva says in conclusion.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev