About this Event
The vocal techniques and extraordinary harmonies of Bulgarian music have entranced music lovers around the the globe. The brilliant tonal clarity and vocal agility of Bulgarian singers is universally appreciated and many musicians from other traditions have expressed a deep interest in decoding the mystery of the Bulgarian voice. Tzvetanka Varimezova has taught traditional Bulgarian vocal techniques, folk songs, and choral repertoire around the world for more than two decades and is a master of helping non-Bulgarian singers discover their open voice.
Singers of all ages, genders, and levels of experience welcome!
Space is limited and advance registration is strongly encouraged.
ABOUT TZVETANKA VARIMEZOVA
Bulgarian folkloric soprano Tzvetanka Varimezova was born to a musical family in Pazardzhik in Bulgarian Thrace. She started singing and playing accordion at age 9, and went on to master tambura and piano at the Kotel High School for Folk Music and the Plovdiv Conservatory. She performed, recorded, and toured internationally as a vocal soloist and assistant conductor with the Bulgarian National Folk Ensembles Trakija, Philip Koutev, Pazardzhik Ensemble, Cosmic Voices from Bulgaria, Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, Les Grand Voix Bulgares, The Bulgarian Radio Choir, Trio Bojura and the Varimezovi Family Band.
In 1993 Tzvetanka began her work teaching and demystifying the Bulgarian voice to choral ensembles and individual singers around the world. In 2001, she was invited to join the faculty of UCLA’s Ethnomusicology Department, where she taught for two decades and directed the Bulgarian women’s choir “Superdevojche”. Her rich collaborative mentorship with Kitka began in 2002.
In 2017 Tzvetanka was awarded “Voice of the Year 2017” at the Annual Folk Music Awards in Bulgaria. At the same awards ceremony in 2018 she received the “Award for Lifetime Contribution to Bulgarian Folk Music.” In 2020, she received the Bulgarian Presidential Badge of Honor for her significant contribution to the preservation and promotion of Bulgarian folk art and traditions around the world. Tzvetanka and her husband, Bulgarian gajda (bagpipe) master Ivan Varimezov, live in Sofia Bulgaria.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1255 1st Avenue, Oakland, United States
USD 0.00 to USD 33.85
