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The Academic Folk Choir at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, was founded in 1972. In a relatively short time, it has achieved exceptional results. Having developed its technical and artistic skills to a high academic level, the choir falls into the same category as a large number of professional choirs. It has successfully faced the challenge of performing songs composed on a folklore base by overcoming their numerous vocal, technical, and interpretative difficulties.
The choir's repertoire is characterized by a wide spectrum of stylistic variety – from authentic folk songs from different national regions to multi-voice interpretations, composers' works composed with avant-garde means of expression, and old orthodox songs.
Many works have been written and dedicated to the Academic Folk Choir by authors like Asen Diamandiev, Stefan Mutafchiev, Ivan Spasov, Nikolai Stoikov, Kiril Stefanov, Nikolai Kaufman, Krassimir Kyurkchijski, Anastas Naumov, etc. Their works have often had their debut performances done by the choir. Thanks to them, the choir has become the founder of the phenomenon called "new folklore wave." It is characterized by the intonations and metro-rhythms that are integrated into the works they perform, as well as by the highly professional use of contemporary interpretative methods.
The choir has participated in numerous concerts in Bulgaria as well as internationally, yielding numerous acknowledgments and prizes. Some of the choir's more remarkable international awards are those from the "Bydgoszcz Musical Impressions" festival in Poland, "Gurten Festival" – Switzerland, Flanders Festival – Belgium, "Europalia" – Belgium, as well as the Bulgarian collection of "New Bulgarian Music," etc.
International critics have acclaimed the choir's performances as perfectly epitomizing the "mystery of the Bulgarian Voices," "superseding the common idea about the Bulgarian national song," and being original and enchanting "with their beauty, precision, artistic freedom, and stable intonation."
Some of the most acclaimed choir-masters were Associate Prof. Stefan Mutafchiev and Prof. Vassilka Spasova, the latter being considered the chief contributor to the biggest achievements of the choir.
Starting in fall 2004, PhD Kostadin Buradzhiev has been the chief choir-master. In the year 2005, the choir won the first prize at the International Folk Festival in Albena, Bulgaria. In 2005-2006, it also made numerous recordings for the Bulgarian National Radio. The greatest recognition for its professionalism the choir received at the 5th Choir Olympics in Graz, Austria, in 2008, where it won the Gold medal and title of World Champion in the category "Folklore" and the Grand Prix of Choir Music - 2011. For this success, the choir was rewarded with the "Crystal Lyre" of UBMD, Ministry of Culture, and Radio FM+.
The choir's repertoire is characterized by a wide spectrum of stylistic variety – from authentic folk songs from different national regions to multi-voice interpretations, composers' works composed with avant-garde means of expression, and old orthodox songs.
Many works have been written and dedicated to the Academic Folk Choir by authors like Asen Diamandiev, Stefan Mutafchiev, Ivan Spasov, Nikolai Stoikov, Kiril Stefanov, Nikolai Kaufman, Krassimir Kyurkchijski, Anastas Naumov, etc. Their works have often had their debut performances done by the choir. Thanks to them, the choir has become the founder of the phenomenon called "new folklore wave." It is characterized by the intonations and metro-rhythms that are integrated into the works they perform, as well as by the highly professional use of contemporary interpretative methods.
The choir has participated in numerous concerts in Bulgaria as well as internationally, yielding numerous acknowledgments and prizes. Some of the choir's more remarkable international awards are those from the "Bydgoszcz Musical Impressions" festival in Poland, "Gurten Festival" – Switzerland, Flanders Festival – Belgium, "Europalia" – Belgium, as well as the Bulgarian collection of "New Bulgarian Music," etc.
International critics have acclaimed the choir's performances as perfectly epitomizing the "mystery of the Bulgarian Voices," "superseding the common idea about the Bulgarian national song," and being original and enchanting "with their beauty, precision, artistic freedom, and stable intonation."
Some of the most acclaimed choir-masters were Associate Prof. Stefan Mutafchiev and Prof. Vassilka Spasova, the latter being considered the chief contributor to the biggest achievements of the choir.
Starting in fall 2004, PhD Kostadin Buradzhiev has been the chief choir-master. In the year 2005, the choir won the first prize at the International Folk Festival in Albena, Bulgaria. In 2005-2006, it also made numerous recordings for the Bulgarian National Radio. The greatest recognition for its professionalism the choir received at the 5th Choir Olympics in Graz, Austria, in 2008, where it won the Gold medal and title of World Champion in the category "Folklore" and the Grand Prix of Choir Music - 2011. For this success, the choir was rewarded with the "Crystal Lyre" of UBMD, Ministry of Culture, and Radio FM+.
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