London Bulgarian Choir

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.

History and Achievements

Awards

LBC won the Open Choir Category of BBC Radio 3's Choir of the Year 2006 competition.^[1]

Tours

In the summer of 2005 LBC toured Bulgaria. The tour was covered in a full-page article in the British Songlines magazine^[2] 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.^[3]

Soundtracks

Sections of the choir contributed to the soundtracks for the 2004 Warner Bros. epic Troy^[4] and the 2005 BBC miniseries The Virgin Queen.^[5] The Virgin Queen soundtrack won the 2007 BASCA Ivor Novello award in the Best Television Soundtrack category.^[6]

Events

The choir has taken part in London-based events such as the Exhibition Road Music Day,^[7] Various Voices,^[8] and the London Jazz Festival.^[9]

Outside London, the choir regularly take part in music and arts festivals, and have performed at the Hebden Bridge Arts Festival,^[10] MusicPort,^[11] Sidmouth Folk Week^[12] and the Larmer Tree Festival.^[13]

Collaborations

Composer and animateur Orlando Gough used the choir in central roles for the performances Singing River^[14] at the re-opening of the Royal Festival Hall and Shouting Gallery^[15] 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^[16] 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^[17] in 2008 and Regent's Park^[18] in 2009.

The choir collaborated and performed with Doves as part of the BBC Electric Proms in October 2009.^[19]

In 2012, the choir performed with Cerys Matthews, adjusting two songs from their repertoire to fit with two from Cerys' album Tir. 10 singers from the choir worked with Neil Davidge on the soundtrack to Halo 4. ^[20] In 2013, the choir worked with Sophie Ellis-Bextor on the recording of the track Cry to the Beat of the Band for her album Wanderlust.^[21]

Radio

Dessislava Stefanova was the featured guest on Radio 3's The Choir ^[22] with Aled Jones in February 2007, and presented Bulgaria's Voice^[23] on Radio 3 in 2005. Both programs included recordings of the choir in performance.

Discography

Alyana Galyana, 2008
Christmas Concert (DVD), 2009
Goro Le Goro, 2012 ^[24]

External links

• Official website: http://www.londonbulgarianchoir.co.uk/

References