A vibrant celebration of Bulgarian folk traditions will take place as part of the European Music Festival in Sofia. On 12 May, students from the National Music Academy "Prof. Pancho Vladigerov" - talented young performers of Bulgarian folk music - will take the stage at the Academy's concert hall.

The event, entitled Folk Celebration, is free and is organised in partnership with the National Academy of Music, with financial support from the Ministry of Culture and Sofia Municipality.

The programme showcases the melodic beauty and rhythmic diversity of Bulgarian folk music. The audience will hear works by some of the most renowned arrangers of traditional folk melodies, including Krasimir Kyurkchiyski, Ivan Valev, Georgi Andreev and Stoyan Paurov. The concert will also feature premieres of original compositions inspired by folk traditions, written by the students themselves.

The folk music programme at the Academy, which was launched in 2018 as part of the instrumental faculty, has developed successfully. A particular point of pride for the institution are its two student ensembles - the Academic Folk Choir, directed by Dr Vanya Moneva, and the Academic Folk Orchestra, directed by Assoc. Prof. Dr Dimitar Hristov - both of which maintain an active performance schedule.