Traditionally, May 24 - the Day of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, of the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture and of the Slavonic Literature, is celebrated in Rome, where the work of the first Slavic teachers received the blessing of Pope Adrian II. The Bulgarian delegation in Rome includes high-ranking state officials, representatives of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church in Bulgaria, public figures and cultural figures, and the program includes a series of ecclesiastical and cultural events, in which Metropolitan Anthony of Western and Central Europe and Prof. Ivan Ivanov, who organizes and coordinates the ecclesiastical part of the program, will once again participate.

The Mixed Choir of the Bulgarian National Radio is also a guest to the celebrations in Rome this year. The Mixed Choir is a renowned professional ensemble with a long history, having sung under the baton of legends such as Herbert von Karajan, Georges Prêtre and Claudio Abbado. The invitation to the choir to participate in the Divine Liturgy on May 23 in the Basilica of San Clemente is an honor for the institution of the Bulgarian National Radio. Conductor of the ensemble, Lyubomira Alexandrova, told us us more in an interview with BNR:

"This invitation came on behalf of Metropolitan Anthony of Western and Central Europe and from Prof. Dr. Ivan Ivanov, who is a representative of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Rome. Last year we talked about such participation of our ensemble and this year it will be realized. We are very excited and happy about this because for the first time part of the ensemble will have this challenge – to participate in a service in the Cathedral of San Clemente."

For the first time in Orthodox history, the Divine Liturgy was served on the central altar of the ancient basilica in Rome, where part of the relics of St. Constantine Cyril are kept, in 2021 by Presbyter Ivan Ivanov. The first invitation for participation of a professional choir in the liturgy came in 2025. Is this a repertoire challenge for the singers?

"A real challenge, as we have to fit into the order of a liturgy that we as a group have never performed. Our preparation has been going on for three weeks. Of course, we do it with the help of Father Ivanov, with the help of my colleagues who work with church choirs. The music is Church Slavonic. Two years ago we recorded a CD with such music and we have some of these chants in our repertoire, but we have never done an entire service. Indeed, this is a test, a challenge and a great honor for us. Moreover, this year is very special for our country: 1170 years since the creation of the Bulgarian alphabet, 1160 years since the adoption of Christianity in Bulgaria by Knyaz Boris I the Baptiser and 1140 years since the Assumption of Saint Methodius. The anniversaries are very, very special and this further increases the adrenaline."

The program of the event includes chants by Bulgarian and Russian composers: Dobri Hristov, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky. The duration of the music is about 50 minutes. According to a long-established tradition, May 24 is an occasion for a Bulgarian delegation to be received by the Pope in the Vatican. Have the musicians from the Bulgarian National Radio been invited to this reception?

"This has not been clarified yet, as we have a new Pope," Lyubomira Alexandrova says. “I know for sure that Metropolitan Anthony and Father Ivan Ivanov are in contact with the Vatican about something like this and we hope to be accepted. Or it would be even more exciting if the Pope attended the liturgy!"

Author: Tsvetana Toncheva

Publication in English: Alexander Markov

Photos: Bulgarian National Radio, Ani Petrova, basilicasanclemente.com, Facebook / Mixed Choir of the Bulgarian National Radio, Bulgarian Orthodox ecclesiastical community "Sveti Sedmochislenitsi" in Rome