The world famous female choir from Sofia with crossover-project ambitions

Their voices are fascinating, their style of singing and ornamentation is archaic, distinctive and rooted in centuries of local tradition. The Bulgarian Voices Angelite stands for the worldwide spread of the famous Bulgarian women choir singing since 25 years. Their international success (shows at the Nobel Price Award, the Red Square in Moscow or at the Grammy nomination 1999) and the non breaking international fascination throughout the years shows their uniqueness and quality.

The choir is among the most renowned ensembles in the categories of Balkan and Bulgarian folk music. It was formed as a private choir from the ashes of the old State Television Choir, dating back to 1952, by the State Choir’s manager: Tanja Andreeva. The comprises two dozen female singers from across the nation under the leadership of Georgy Petkov.

Prior to the fall of communism, the Bulgarian Voices Angelite were largely unknown to the world, but in the years since the Iron Curtain was lifted the ensemble managed to enchant the world with their singular blend of classical and folk traditions. This blend is further supplemented by their mysterious and cryptic manner of singing– peculiarly suspended, frequently dissonant (e.g. with major and minor seconds), and completely void of vibrato. To say that the Bulgarian Voices Angelite is a mere folklore ensemble is to overlook its true potential. They have established an authentic style of their own by managing to advance in the sphere of art music, drawing inspirations from modern Bulgarian composers e.g. Philip Koutev, Stefan Kanev, Dimitar Dinev, Stefan Mutafchiev, and Nikolai Kauffmann, embarking on journeys with rock (Elio E Le Storie Tese), jazz (Moscow Art Trio), throat singing (Huun-Huur-Tu), hip-hop, and classical fusion (Sarband), whilst preserving its Balkan heritage derived from musical exchanges between Russia, Greece, Turkey, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. Therefore, then listening to the choir, the boundaries between East and West, young and old, pop and classic seem to disappear.