The eparchy choir of Vratsa (Northwestern Bulgaria) named after St. Sophronius Bishop of Vratsa (1739-1813) is among the keen promoters of the diverse tradition of choral singing in this country.  

We find out more about the choir from its conductor Bishop Cyprian:

"The Representative Choir of the Vratsa Eparchy was founded in 1987 with the blessing of the Bishop of Vratsa Kalinik in connection with the celebration of the 250th birth anniversary of foremost Bulgarian saint Sophronius Bishop of Vratsa. The first conductor of the choir was Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov, conductor of the choir at St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, and lecturer at the Faculty of Theology. I have been leading the Representative Choir since 2000. With its concert format I have been working more actively for the past 5 years. Some of the choir's singers have graduated the music academies in Plovdiv and Sofia. There are also priests, teachers, medical doctors, church staff and their grown up children who work for the junior choir.”

Cyprian is unique among Orthodox Christian bishops to have become conductor of a church choir. He has received awards for his work. “Music is like competition. You reach a certain level but if you stop there, you start lagging behind. Achievements have to be maintained with dedication”. Bishop Cyprian sums up the choir's work in 2014:

"Our first appearance was at It Is Truly Meet, the International Festival in the Black Sea town of Pomorie. There the Representative Choir and its men's group received the prizes for monolithic sound and for a most diverse program because we sing Church Slavonic chants from various eras. Later on we joined the International Festival in Verona, Italy /Festival Internazionale Corale Verona Garda Estate/, an exceptional experience indeed. Orthodox music is highly regarded in Italy. The choir became holder of a gold medal for Musica Sacra. The festival's President Prof. Giuliano Rinaldi, after listening to two renditions of We Hymn Thee by Dobry Crhristoff learned the chant and sang with us. Our next appearance was a concert commemorating my first teacher, late Petya Pavlovich. I often quote her and use her methods. I am very grateful to her daughter, conductor Teodora Pavlovich for this wonderful concert. We have already started work for the European Choir Games in Magdeburg We have won the quota for Bulgaria and will represent this country in Germany in July 2015. There we will join 28 music groups from across the continent. The best among them will sing at the World Choir Games in Sochi, Russia, in 2016.”

The repertoire of the Vratsa Eparchy choir is based on the tenets of Church Slavonic singing. Bishop Cyprian explains that apart from Orthodox music the choir also performs cantatas and oratorios, and also Bulgarian folk songs in modern arrangements that singers enjoy very much.

Finally, a Christmas blessing from Bishop Cyprian:

"Let the Nativity of Christ light up the Christian world. Let our families are united, because Christmas is a family occasion when we celebrate God. If we are united - in both the family and in society, the Nativity will enter our hearts and God will help us in every good we do.”

English Daniela Konstantinova

Audio: The Representative Choir of the Vratsa Eparchy, conductor Bishop Cyprian

1.  O Fervent Protectress

2.  Ave Maria

3.  We Hymn Thee

4.  Lord, Now Lettest Thou (Nunc Dimittis)

5.  Blessed is the Man

The live recordings are from the concert of the choir in Verona, Italy (2014)