Narberth A Cappella Voice Festival 2018 sees the return of festival favourites London Bulgarian Choir for a special 10th anniversary performance on Saturday 5th May at The Queens Hall, Narberth. This fabulous and award-winning Choir will headline Saturday nights concert with a vibrant, sociable and wonderful performance of Bulgarian songs sung by 25 open-hearted singers reflecting all nationalities, ages and abilities.
The songs performed by the London Bulgarian Choir are arrangements of traditional and ancient Bulgarian songs. Some tell powerful tales of love and loss, fighting and celebration, while others are inspired by the daily fabric of life.
From its early days as a handful of singers, the choir has grown into an extended ensemble bringing its repertoire of traditional Bulgarian songs to concert halls, churches, nightclubs, galleries, festivals, embassies, village squares and even a barge on the River Thames.
This incredible choir was founded in 2000 by Dessislava Stefanova (Dessi), a former singer with the legendary Philip Koutev Bulgarian National Folk Ensemble in Sofia, and thanks to her patience and dedication this group of largely non-Bulgarian singers has become a performing tour de force, winning hearts and minds from the Welsh valleys to Bulgaria’s mountain villages.
There is something about the fascinating, spine-tingling appeal of Bulgarian choral music that makes lifelong devotees of its fans. These traditional folk songs, sung in a complex and unique vocal style, have survived 500 years of Ottoman rule and 50 years of communist indoctrination to emerge with their extraordinary dissonant harmonies, exotic scales, compelling rhythms and exuberant trills and hiccups virtually intact.
Bulgarian choral music was first popularised in the West more than 30 years ago with the release of the well-known Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares album, and has been weaving its magic among Western audiences ever since. While the songs encompass universal human experiences, they seem more powerfully evocative than most ethnic music traditions, transcending language barriers and often moving audiences to tears.
“The London Bulgarian Choir fill the venue with their unearthly harmonies” Cerys Matthews, Radio 6 Music
“Simultaneously haunting and hearty, eerie yet emphatic, and utterly bewitching.” The Independent on Sunday
“A guaranteed stunning, aural delight.” Time Out
London Bulgarian Choir will be supported by Fernhill’s fabulously creative Julie Murphy and the Haverfordwest based Tempus Vocal Group of between 25-30 members, Saturday’s performance promises an energetic and vibrant evening full of spectacular, spine tingling singing.
Buy your concert tickets here!
Event starts at 7.30pm
You can also join London Bulgarian Choir for a workshop in Eastern European singing where you can learn arrangements of traditional and ancient Bulgarian songs with this open hearted and friendly group on the morning before the concert on Saturday 5th May.
Join us from Friday the 4th to Sunday the 6th of May for what is set to be an unforgettable and uplifting weekend to celebrate our anniversary and the extraordinary diversity of singing without instruments with over 250 singers making an appearance to mark this special occasion. As ever, in addition to the spectacular performances, the festival features a range of exciting workshops and the chance to take part in a community singing day, fun for all ages and abilities. For more information, tickets and opportunities to join our fabulous community visit www.navf.co.uk .
Buy your workshop tickets here!
For full details of schedule contact box office on 01834 869323 or visit the NAVF website
The Narberth A Cappella Voice Festival is suitable for all ages and abilities.
Single Advance (performance): £18/£16 Single Door (performance): £20/18
Single Advance (workshop): £ 10 Single Door (workshop): £12 Weekend Tickets: £75
The Box Office will close at 12.00. noon on Friday 4th May. Advanced bookings for the Narberth A Cappella Voice Festival can be collected from Queen’s Hall Box Office during the weekend. All other tickets for NAVF concerts and workshops can also be purchased there.
For full details of schedule contact box office on 01834 869323. For more information contact Span Arts: info@span-arts-dev.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/spanarts Twitter: www.twitter.com/SpanArts
