Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Europe Sings Project starring BNR‘s mixed choir

БНР Новини
Photo: Bulfoto

"Europe Sings” is a project that involves selected professional and amateur choirs that will gather in Vienna. They will take people on a musical journey and present the old continent through the language of music. The program is based on the topic "100 Years of European History." Bulgaria will be represented at the event by the mixed choir of the BNR with conductor Dragomir Iosifov. Here is what he told us:

"On May 9 Europe Day is traditionally marked but one of the biggest music festivals also opens - The Vienna Festival Weeks. Both events will be marked with a concert that includes eight choirs from different parts of Europe. It was an honor for the mixed choir of the Bulgarian National Radio to be invited. Each choir will perform at the open stage in front of the City Hall downtown Vienna.  The choirs will also perform together fragments of popular works such as the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Verdi’s Nabucco; Symphony № 2 by Gustav Mahler and others.”

Each individual performance will be accompanied by a video promoting the country from which the choir came from.

"After a careful selection made by the choir itself, we unanimously decided to present a song based on music by Lubomir Pipkov. In 2014 we mark the 110th anniversary since his birth and 40 years after his death. “Vraneyat se Vrani Konje” is part of a series of folk songs written by the Bulgarian composer. These songs are rarely performed. They are difficult to perform but very beautiful," says Dragomir Iosifov. 


The Symphony Orchestra of the Austrian broadcaster ORF will take part in the event and the concert will be broadcast all over Europe. The event is a co-production of the European Broadcasting Union with eight different countries - Austria, Germany, Croatia, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, France and Bulgaria. The BNT and BNR participate in the project as partners. The concert "Europe Sings" will be shown live on TV at 22.20 hours local time on May 9.

The culmination of "Europe Sings" will be a performance of the "Ode to Joy" from Symphony № 9 by Beethoven. Based on a poem by Friedrich Schiller, it has been a European anthem since 1972.

English version: Alexander Markov




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Miro goes "Gentle" in his new track

Bulgarian pop star Miro has released  a new single after the success of "Lyubov kato nebe" (Love Like Sky), which was the most played Bulgarian song for 12 weeks. "Nezhen" (Gentle) is the result of a surprising collaboration - the singer worked with..

published on 10/23/24 2:23 PM

Dara Ekimova – I give you it all

In the space of just one year and a half, young singer Dara Ekimova released 16 songs which she included in her debut album entitled This room . A little before the album’s premiere, she released her single I give you it all . Dara Ekimova wrote..

published on 10/21/24 7:15 AM

A Lost Love: Papi Hans Singing 'A Song for Her'

Papi Hans is the artistic alter ego of Konstantin Trendafilov - to some a singing poet, to others a poetry-writing singer, but undeniably a complex artist.  As a writer and performer, Papi Hans has come a long way from the cheeky hit 'Keks'..

published on 10/18/24 2:25 PM