In the center of Sofia bagpipe sounds will mix with didgeridoo and Bulgarian shepherd's flute, world music bands will be trying to compete for the love of the audience, and artists are going to paint their impressions from the event. The Sofia Fusion Festival is on tonight and on Friday at Mixtape 5 club. More from the festival's PR officer, Vanya Benelinova:

“We expect to have on stage as many as fourteen famous Bulgarian groups and bands. Tonight we are having Tapani & Gaidi (Drums & Bagpipes), Kayno Yesno Slonce, Elate Sinove na Izkustvoto (Come Sons of Art) chamber choir and others. On Friday the program features Bulgara, Kottarashky and The Rain Dogs, as well as Oratnitsa band… We have prepared a special daytime program with various events. Artist Tsvetan Uzunov will present his exhibition with works portraying famous musicians. His method is to combine spray and acrylic. There will be a sale of music instruments. The program also includes creative workshops. They will provide training in shepherd's flute, bagpipe and didgeridoo to whoever is willing to learn. In recent years the didgeridoo, an Aborigine instrument, has become increasingly popular with Bulgarian musicians and is present in many ethno music projects. We hope that a genuine fusion mood will dominate the festival.”

The team of KabaGaida.com will hold a bagpipe playing workshop. Trainees will learn about the structure of the bagpipe, the way to make it and will be taught some basic playing skills.

Petar Yordanov-Bunny (cajon, drums), one of the Sofia Fusion Festival organizers and musicians, adds:

“There are ideas for joint work between the bands that we expect to take place at Mixtape 5. Artists have continued to join in. Artist Hristo Tenev has designed the cover of the album of Hristina Beleva and Petar Milanov. Now he is going to paint or recreate on a large screen his music emotions on stage. The festival creates interest in arts. I will team up with Oratnitsa and Drums & Bagpipes. We are going to present instrumental works that we have not played to audiences yet. With Del Padre we will make two joint songs mixing rumba and flamenco with ethno motifs.”

The music events on both nights of Sofia Fusion Festival will end with DJ parties of DJ Dancing Angel and DJ Olaija.

English Daniela Konstantinova

The audio file contains the following works:

1/ Hristina Beleva, Petar Milanov: Stani Nedo (Get Up Neda), based on folk motifs

2/ Oratnitsa Band: Mari, Mariiko, based on folk motifs