My mother’s heart stopped beating in the morning of May 12, her daughter Mariana has announced. Hristina Lyutova passed away 12 days before she turned eighty. She was born in the Rhodope town of Smolyan on May 24, 1940. In 1962 Hristina joined the Rodopa Ensemble in her home town and the Rhodope song became her destiny and inspiration since then.

Hristina Lyutova has been one of the soloists of the Smolyan-based ensemble for three decades. She collected and preserved over 400 priceless patterns of Rhodope folklore from different sources, mainly from elderly bearers of Bulgarian folklore songs. Some of them are kept at the archives of the Bulgarian National Radio.

Her beautiful and thick alto sounded in France, Cuba, the Netherlands, Russia, Greece, Mexico, Belarus, the Czech Republic, South Korea, Germany, Hungary and other countries. She toured these countries as part of the Great Voices of Bulgaria folklore choir conducted by Zdravko Mihailov. She also sang in Rhodopea Kaba Trio together with her daughter Mariana Pavlova and Silvia Nenkova.

The famous Bulgarian singer spent the last years of her life with her daughter in London. Hristina Lyutova was in the hands of very good doctors, her daughter Mariana says and adds that her mother has retained the wisdom and the power of her spirit.

Rest in peace, Hristina!