London Bulgarian Choir
Encyclopedia
The London Bulgarian Choir is a London
-based amateur
choir
, specialising in Bulgarian folk music. Dessislava Stefanova has led the choir since its formation in 2000. Primarily a performing choir, the LBC perform around twenty concerts a year and have been involved in high-profile collaborations with British Sea Power
, Doves and Orlando Gough
.
's Choir of the Year 2006 competition.
and filmed for Bulgarian television. The choir returned to Bulgaria in August 2010, featuring in national press and television, and performing at the Koprivshtitsa folk festival and the Bansko jazz festival.
s for the 2004 Warner Bros.
epic
Troy
and the 2005 BBC
miniseries
The Virgin Queen. The Virgin Queen soundtrack won the 2007 BASCA
Ivor Novello award in the Best Television Soundtrack category.
Music Day, Various Voices, and the London Jazz Festival
.
Outside London, the choir regularly take part in music and arts festivals, and have performed at the Hebden Bridge
Arts Festival, MusicPort
, Sidmouth Folk Week and the Larmer Tree Festival
.
used the choir in central roles for the performances Singing River at the re-opening of the Royal Festival Hall
and Shouting Gallery in the National Portrait Gallery.
Part of the choir sang with British Sea Power
on BBC Two
's music television program
Later... with Jools Holland in January 2008 and joined them again for the Mercury Music Awards
later that year. The full choir joined British Sea Power for concerts in the Roundhouse
in 2008 and Regent's Park
in 2009.
The choir collaborated and performed with Doves as part of the BBC Electric Proms
in October 2009.
in February 2007, and presented Bulgaria's Voice on Radio 3 in 2005. Both programs included recordings of the choir in performance.
Christmas Concert (DVD), 2009
Goro Le Goro, 2012 [planned]
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
, specialising in Bulgarian folk music. Dessislava Stefanova has led the choir since its formation in 2000. Primarily a performing choir, the LBC perform around twenty concerts a year and have been involved in high-profile collaborations with British Sea Power
British Sea Power
British Sea Power are an indie rock band based in Brighton, England, although three of the band members originally come from Kendal in Cumbria. Critics have likened their sound to a variety of groups, from The Cure and Joy Division to the Pixies and Arcade Fire. The band are famed for their live...
, Doves and Orlando Gough
Orlando Gough
Orlando Gough is a British composer, educated at Oxford, and noted for projects written for ballet, contemporary dance and theatre. Collaborators have included Siobhan Davies, Alain Platel, Shobana Jeyasingh and Ashley Page of The Royal Ballet. He is artistic director of The Shout, which he...
.
Awards
LBC won the Open Choir Category of BBC Radio 3BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
's Choir of the Year 2006 competition.
Tours
In the summer of 2005 LBC toured Bulgaria. The tour was covered in a full-page article in the British Songlines magazineSonglines (magazine)
Songlines is the name of a British based magazine launched in 1999 that covers music from traditional and popular to contemporary and fusion, featuring artists from around the globe....
and filmed for Bulgarian television. The choir returned to Bulgaria in August 2010, featuring in national press and television, and performing at the Koprivshtitsa folk festival and the Bansko jazz festival.
Soundtracks
Sections of the choir contributed to the soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s for the 2004 Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
epic
Epic film
An epic is a genre of film that emphasizes human drama on a grand scale. Epics are more ambitious in scope than other film genres, and their ambitious nature helps to differentiate them from similar genres such as the period piece or adventure film...
Troy
Troy (film)
Troy is a 2004 epic war film written by David Benioff and directed by Wolfgang Petersen based on the events of the Trojan War. Its cast includes Brad Pitt as Achilles, Eric Bana as Hector.It was nominated for the Academy Award for Costume Design.-Plot:...
and the 2005 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
The Virgin Queen. The Virgin Queen soundtrack won the 2007 BASCA
British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors
British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors was founded in 1947.It represents its members within the industry, to the government and to the European Commission....
Ivor Novello award in the Best Television Soundtrack category.
Events
The choir has taken part in London-based events such as the Exhibition RoadExhibition Road
Exhibition Road is a street in South Kensington, London, forming a semi-border between the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the City of Westminster...
Music Day, Various Voices, and the London Jazz Festival
London Jazz Festival
The London Jazz Festival is a London-wide music festival held every November. It takes place in a variety of London venues, including larger concert halls—such as the Barbican and the Royal Festival Hall—and smaller jazz clubs, such as Ronnie Scott's and Vortex...
.
Outside London, the choir regularly take part in music and arts festivals, and have performed at the Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and lies 8 miles west of Halifax and 14 miles north east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the River Hebden .A 2004 profile of...
Arts Festival, MusicPort
Musicport World Music Festival
Musicport World Music Festival is the UK's largest annual indoor world music festival . It was held in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, from 2000-2007. In 2008 it moves to The Spa, Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire with a main hall capacity of 3,500...
, Sidmouth Folk Week and the Larmer Tree Festival
Larmer Tree Festival
The Larmer Tree Festival is a five-day music and arts festival held annually at the Larmer Tree Gardens near Tollard Royal on the Wiltshire-Dorset border in England. Described as "One of the most family-friendly festivals around", it is also noted for its "stunning location .....
.
Collaborations
Composer and animateur Orlando GoughOrlando Gough
Orlando Gough is a British composer, educated at Oxford, and noted for projects written for ballet, contemporary dance and theatre. Collaborators have included Siobhan Davies, Alain Platel, Shobana Jeyasingh and Ashley Page of The Royal Ballet. He is artistic director of The Shout, which he...
used the choir in central roles for the performances Singing River at the re-opening of the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
and Shouting Gallery in the National Portrait Gallery.
Part of the choir sang with British Sea Power
British Sea Power
British Sea Power are an indie rock band based in Brighton, England, although three of the band members originally come from Kendal in Cumbria. Critics have likened their sound to a variety of groups, from The Cure and Joy Division to the Pixies and Arcade Fire. The band are famed for their live...
on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
's music television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Later... with Jools Holland in January 2008 and joined them again for the Mercury Music Awards
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
later that year. The full choir joined British Sea Power for concerts in the Roundhouse
The Roundhouse
The Roundhouse is a Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England, which has been converted into a performing arts and concert venue. It was originally built in 1847 as a roundhouse , a circular building containing a railway turntable, but was only used for railway...
in 2008 and Regent's Park
Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, in the City of Westminster, London, is a permanent venue with an annual sixteen-week summer season. It was founded in 1932 by Sydney Carroll and Robert Atkins.-The theatre:...
in 2009.
The choir collaborated and performed with Doves as part of the BBC Electric Proms
BBC Electric Proms
The BBC Radio 2 Electric Proms was an October music festival in London run by the BBC for five years, 2006-2010...
in October 2009.
Radio
Dessislava Stefanova was the featured guest on Radio 3's The Choir with Aled JonesAled Jones
Aled Jones is a Welsh singer and television/radio personality, broadcaster and television presenter who first came to fame as a treble...
in February 2007, and presented Bulgaria's Voice on Radio 3 in 2005. Both programs included recordings of the choir in performance.
Discography
Alyana Galyana, 2008Christmas Concert (DVD), 2009
Goro Le Goro, 2012 [planned]