Monday, April 19, 2021
Encounters Countdown: London Bulgarian Choir
Ahead of their scheduled performance on May 20 at this year's Songlines Encounters Festival, we revisit Simon Broughton's interview from last year with the singing troupe’s charismatic leader, Dessislava Stefanova
The
London Bulgarian Choir are one of the under-reported highlights of the capital’s musical life. But this 40-strong ensemble, of which roughly 30% are Bulgarian, are a truly magnificent group performing the distinctive vocal polyphony with clashing harmonies and glorious resolutions that is one of the jewels of Bulgarian culture. The choir’s founder and leader
Dessislava Stefanova came to London on a tourist visa in 2000 and quickly ran into a network of people fascinated by Bulgarian vocals, popularised through the