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With a concert at the Bulgaria Hall in Sofia

Vanya Moneva Choir celebrates its 30th anniversary

Photo: YouTube / OurHomeBulgaria

For three decades the cosmic voices of the singers in one of Bulgaria's most popular folk choirs, led by Maestra Vanya Moneva, have been delighting audiences in this country and around the world. 

The Vanya Moneva Choir is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its founding with a concert tonight at the Bulgaria Hall in Sofia. On the last night of April, they will once again treat audiences to beautiful interpretations of Bulgarian folklore in a special concert. "The most important and significant for us singers since the foundation of our choir will join us" - reads the invitation to the event. It is addressed to all those who "believe in the richness and power of choral and ensemble music". 
The singers, under the direction of Maestra Vanya Moneva, have enthusiastically embarked on a variety of projects in the fields of folk, sacred and cantata-oratorio music, but also in various jazz, pop, film and theatre productions and so-called world music.

For 30 years the choir's biography includes hundreds of concerts in Bulgaria and throughout Europe, Asia, North and South America, etc. The choir's successful partnership with Japanese composer Jun Miyake has led to a series of concerts in Japan. 
The Japanese government and the country's Olympic Committee invited the Bulgarian ensemble to record a version of the Japanese national anthem, which was performed at the closing ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The Vanya Moneva Choir recorded part of the soundtrack of the Star Wars film Solo (2018), composed by John Powell, and the soundtrack of the HBO production His Dark Materials (2019), composed by composer Lauren Balfe.


We have many good choirs with traditions. All of them should have the courage to take part in choir competitions where they can demonstrate their vocal skills - said Vanya Moneva in an interview for Radio Bulgaria a few years ago. And the choir she directs continues to prove its quality at prestigious forums in Bulgaria, Europe and around the world. Vanya Moneva talks about the challenges of leading a choir in Bulgaria:

" It is difficult for any choir to exist in Bulgaria if it is not subsidised by the state or the municipality. The only driving force can be the will and vision of the conductor and the motivation of the singers. My professional path has been thorny from the beginning, but difficulties only make us stronger. I continue bravely because I know that I love my art and that I do it with a pure heart. That's how I teach the girls in my choir, they are fighters just like me. As the saying goes, like parents, like children. That's why I believe that the image of a choir is made by its conductor, and the way the conductor is as a person and a professional, so is his choir.




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