ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Konoush Band celebrates 55th anniversary with fellow musicians

Author:
БНР Новини
Photo: library

In its 55-year record Konoush Band has emerged as a classical group in the genre of Thracian wedding music based on folklore. Its musicians have provided performances to generations of Bulgarians through their countless appearances at weddings, christening rituals, festivals, celebrations and concerts. During the legendary instrumental music competitions in the villages of Stambolovo and Gorski Izvor (near Haskovo in Southern Bulgaria) they have always received the highest prizes.

Founder and long-standing leader of Konoush Band is clarinetist Nikola Iliev. He has academic training but has devoted his entire career to folk music and the band named after his native village of Konoush. The band is vastly popular not only in the region of Thrace. Regardless of the changes in the band’s lineup and its repertoire the musicians remain loyal to the classical style of wedding melodies and chain dances. It is known that the Thracian musicians readily join the celebrations of their colleagues.

In April some of the most famous wedding bands invited their fans to the town of Chirpan, Southern Bulgaria, to mark the 85th anniversary of Professor Petko Radev. Many famous singers and instrumentalists from Thrace will also join the anniversary celebration ofKonoush Band. More from Nikola Iliev:

“I have invited a few bands. I think that we will have a nice celebration of folk music with the Young Thracians band and its leader Bozhidar Strehin (a student of mine)., Slavyani (Slavs) band led by Nikolay Trifonov, Slavey (Nightingale) band of Slavcho Angelov, the Pazardzhik band Siyanie (Radiance) of Ivo Ralchev, Onyx Band of Panteley Grigorov and the band of Mladen Milanov. We expect other celebrity musicians to join us – clarinetist Ivo Papazov, accordionist Alexander Raychev, folk singers Todor Kozhuharov, Binka Dobreva and Yanka Ivanova. They have all promised to come. The date is 22 June and the celebration opens at 5 p.m. in the central square of Konoush village. I am a passionate patriot; I love the village and its people. I chose the village for the event because I was born here and my family comes from this place. There is a young and active man, Kiril Baldzhiev, who lives in Konoush and always helps me. He supported us for the 50th anniversary of the band, and this time it is the same. We are grateful to Nikolay Angelov and his brother, as well as to the sponsors of the concert which will turn into a major event.”


English Daniela Konstantinova

Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.
Radio Bulgaria Folklore   

More from category

The 'White Roses' Bulgarian folk choir from Pescara, Italy, is performing in Bulgaria for the first time

A Bulgarian amateur folk choir based in Italy has returned to Bulgaria for its debut performance before a home audience.  Most members of the choir, named Beli Rozi (White Roses) , have lived in the southern Italian city of Pescara for over a decade...

published on 8/2/25 11:45 AM

First festival of Bulgarian folklore ensembles abroad

Elation, happy faces, smiling people, beautiful Bulgarian songs and dances – that was how the first festival of Bulgarian folklore ensembles abroad got started last night in Arbanasi village near Veliko Tarnovo. The idea for the festival belongs..

updated on 7/24/25 2:42 PM

Thousands celebrate authentic folklore in the Balkan resort village of Ribaritsa

Folk costumes and customs from across the country will be presented at the Kostina Historical Site in Ribaritsa village.  The event will take place on 19 and 20 July as part of the Holiday of Folk Customs and Authentic Costumes . According to the..

published on 7/19/25 7:45 AM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Partly Cloudy
Min: 17 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 20 | Max: 32
Clear
Min: 19 | Max: 31
Clear
Min: 14 | Max: 36
Partly Cloudy
Min: 18 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 35
Partly Cloudy
Min: 14 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 15 | Max: 32
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 34
Partly Cloudy
Min: 16 | Max: 32
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 34
Partly Cloudy
Min: 17 | Max: 35
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 34
Partly Cloudy
Min: 14 | Max: 29
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 35
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 35
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 19 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 32
Partly Cloudy
Min: 12 | Max: 27
Partly Cloudy
Min: 17 | Max: 31
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 36
Clear
Min: 15 | Max: 32
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 35
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 31
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 33
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

The 'White Roses' Bulgarian folk choir from Pescara, Italy, is performing in Bulgaria for the first time

A Bulgarian amateur folk choir based in Italy has returned to Bulgaria for its debut performance before a home audience.  Most members of the choir,..

published on 8/2/25 11:45 AM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"