© London Bulgarian Choir 2008

Led by native Bulgarian singer Dessislava Stefanova, former member of the Philip Koutev Bulgarian Folk Ensemble, the London Bulgarian Choir takes us on a journey around Bulgaria, exploring the landscapes of the voice and the creative traditions of this land.

Dessi and the rest of the choir invite you to join them in finding that ancient resonance in the depth of the human heart.

Activities

We're currently "BBC Radio 3 Open Choir of the Year". We've worked on other people's recordings - including the award-winning Virgin Queen soundtrack - and have a professionally-recorded CD, Alyana Galyana. However, we're primarily a performing choir. We've sung in nightclubs, churches, festivals, embassies, village squares and a barge on the Thames. Have a look at our 'calendar' page to see a history of our concerts, and to find out about future engagements.

Reviews and comments

“About a year ago, the wondrous Bulgarian choir appeared before us as if from musical heaven, a total delight, surprise, revelation... a shimmering vision of purest sound and beauty, of the strength of a kickass musical tradition and an independent woman's version of the world and the tender vulnerability of performance, the exquisite harmonies and dissonance of people singing for the love of their music.... Listen and have your spirit kindled, your soul revived and your ears rejuvenated.”

Max Reinhardt, Radio Gagarin, Notting Hill Arts Club (2007)

“We didn’t know exactly what to expect when we booked the LBC. But what we got was an evening of extraordinary emotional range ­ wonderfully moving singing, a charismatic involvement that ended in a conga, and a ‘stand-up’ commentary on the songs that kept the audience fully involved throughout. We've already booked them again.”

Michael Maxwell Steer, composer, organiser of ‘Nadder Music Cafe’, Tisbury (Dec 2007)

“The London Bulgarian Choir performance at the Rye Arts Festival in September 2007 was one of the highlights of a varied range of events. The exotic music of Eastern Europe seemed perfectly at home in St Mary’s Church. Almost 900 years old the church provided the perfect setting for the rich voices of the choir singing a music that drew on a tradition that was even older. At the end, even the audience were on their feet joining hands with the choir members, moving in a human chain around the church to the infectious rhythm of a music that we do not have an opportunity to hear often enough.”

Tony Mulholland, Rye Festival (Sept 2007)

“I was bowled over by the energy, the power and the commitment of the singing. It was like being transported to a Bulgarian village. Under the guidance of Dessi the singers had got under the skin of the Bulgarian singing technique. The sound was wonderful… I wanted to surprise and thrill the audience. And in the case of LBC I unquestionably succeeded!”

Orlando Gough, composer, animateur of Singing River (2007), Shouting Gallery (2006)

Judges’ Comments from the Radio 3 Choir of the Year competition 2006

“I'm lost for words. I haven't experienced music like that in a long time - a perfect balance between the voices, harmonies; everything was perfect...the most sophisticated physical expression of song I've ever experienced.”

Eugene Skeef, South African percussionist, composer, poet, educationalist

“Music for me is about sharing between an audience and performer. That was, for me, the definition of it. Music is almost a level of communication that exists apart from language. Not many people in the audience, I'm sure, understood (the words), but I found a tear coming to my eye at several points during this performance, and that, for me, is communication.”

Stuart Barr, musical director, conductor, Royal Academy voice coach

“This was a magical performance from start to finish: technical, dynamic and moving.”

Howard Goodall, composer, broadcaster

“I first heard the choir in the rather dark and cramped surroundings of the Notting Hill Club, where I'd gone to hear something completely different.
What excited me about the choir on that first hearing was the raw energy of the singing and the enthusiasm of the performers - these were not ideal conditions but the choir didn't care and stole the show.
I immediately thought of inviting the choir to Swaledale for all sorts of reasons - I'd been building the international links and exciting our audiences with music and performance that they couldn't have heard before and I was sure that with a strong singing tradition in the Dales I'd have plenty of curious listeners and workshop participants.
Most of all I sensed that here was a group who would really make the most of coming to Swaledale and contribute in a special way to the festival spirit. And you did - many people have described their interaction with the choir (whether in the concert hall, the pub or on the side of a mountain) as a real festival highlight. I thought it was too.”

Philip Parr, organiser Swaledale festival (May 2006)

Michael Church of The Independent came to our 2003 Christmas concert, and gave us a five-star review:
... I find the highlight of the week in an urban wasteland. St Pancras Old Church is packed for a Christmas performance by the London Bulgarian Choir: led by the dazzling Dessislava Stefanova, this disciplined group deliver songs of love, war, hunting, and seasonal cheer to stunning effect. Their discordant harmonies are as distinctive as those of Georgian music, but Bulgaria's unique style of voice-production creates a very different thrill.
Read (some of) the review here - some has been truncated.

Michael Church in The Independent (December 2003):