Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

US musician Christiane Karam holds new master class in Sofia

БНР Новини

A few years ago, we introduced you for the first time to Christiane Karam - a jazz and world music vocalist and composer, an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music, a fan of ancient musical cultures, among which Bulgarian folklore occupies a special place. Christiane is the founder of the Pletenitsa Choir which brings together Americans, Europeans, people from the Middle East, from the Balkans...

Снимка

Born in Lebanon, she grew up in Beirut during the military conflict, and later later she settled in the United States. She has worked with a number of famous artists. She does not fail to express her respect for Bobby McFerrin, from whom she has learned much of what she is teaching her students now. For the first time she heard Bulgarian folk music as a child and since then she has not stopped searching and studying our songs. Her Bulgarian teacher is the famous folk singer Binka Dobreva from The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices choir.





Over the past few years, Pletenitsa choir has grown and developed. This is no longer just a group of students singing together, but a true musical ensemble with traditions and an interesting repertoire, says Christiane, recalling the history of the group.





Along with her work as a university music professor, choir conductor and organizer of an annual festival, Christiane writes music and constantly carries out her own projects with different musicians. What is her driving force and what is the unifying element among her various paths of professional expression?





Christiane Karam and her Pletenitsa choir are now preparing a new album with Bulgarian and Balkan music.


English Rossitsa Petcova
Photos: Courtesy of Christiane Karam



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.

More from category

''Nepoznаt'' is about feelings that remain unspoken

The young artist ROSS presents his first single entitled "Nepoznаt". Rosen Petrov, the man behind the stage name ROSS, is a graduate of the vocal school in his hometown of Dobrich. He has already won numerous awards from national and international..

published on 3/4/25 1:40 PM

Mariya Angelova- "This is Bulgaria"

"This is Bulgaria – great and holy" ... sings Mariya Angelova in her original song, which we’ve selected for our National Holiday – March 3.  In the song, she poses questions that are increasingly relevant to us as Bulgarians: "Is Bulgaria where..

published on 3/3/25 5:10 AM

Fak[t]: The LATIDA duo move on, and don't forget to say thanks

LATIDA is a vocal duo that has recently made a name for itself in the Bulgarian music scene, not only through collaborations on various projects, but also with their own original songs.  Yana Baleva and Elizabeth Nesheva both started in music years..

published on 2/28/25 2:12 PM