The Rhodope Nightingale, Orpheus's Daughter, Rhodope's Song Icon are only some of the definitions used by Bulgaria's music experts to describe the talent of celebrated Bulgarian folk singer Radka Kushleva. She left an inestimable heritage of Rhodope folk songs to the golden archives of the Bulgarian National Radio. Radka Kushleva was an example of professionalism in her profession. She came up with many innovative ideas in the field ofthe authentic Rhodope folk music style. The renowned Bulgarian singer continued the tradition of delicate and exquisite female singing of Rhodope songs. In 1948 Radka Kushleva touched the hearts of the Bulgarian listeners when her songs sounded for the first time on the airwaves of the Bulgarian National Radio. She revealed the beauty of the Rhodope live in the music shows of the BNR. The song Bela Sum, Bela Yunache quickly became Radka Kushleva's music emblem.

Radka Kushleva was born in the village of Shiroka Laka in a family of famous musicians and bagpipe players. She was only two year's old when she sang the song Sazpalo e Chelebiyche- the first song she learned from her grandmother Maria Sedyankova who was also a gifted folk singer. In 1942, when she was only sixteen, she took part at a music contest organized by Radio Skopje. Her music teacher Nadya Bardarova took her to that competition. The music jury was fascinated by Radka's performance and invited her to sing on the airwaves of Radio Skopje on a regular basis. Later Radka Kushleva returned to Bulgaria and started active concert activities in the Rhodope region. In 1944 a music choir conducted by Atanas Kapitanov was established in the city of Smolyan at her initiative. Later Radka moved to Plovdiv (Central South Bulgaria). She was a co-founder of a mixed ensemble in Plovdiv conducted by Asen Diamandiev. Radka Kushleva was invited to make music recordings at the Bulgarian National Radio after she became a laureate at the World Festival of Youthin Budapest. Radka Kushleva made a brilliant music career with Nasha Pesen folk group. She toured the country with that group and sang together with Boris Mashalov, Mita Stoycheva, Gyurga Pindzhurova and other celebrated Bulgarian folk singers. Later, she established Kushlevi Sisters music sextet, which consisted of her sisters and daughters-Radka, Anka, Maria, Stefka, Sonya and Didi. In 2016 Bulgaria marks Radka Kushleva's 90th birth anniversary. Here is what her daughter Didi Kushleva told Radio Bulgaria:

“It is a great honor and pride to be Radka Kushleva's little daughter. I always cry when I hear my mother's voice, She was an exceptional person. My mother had an incredible characterand temperament. There isn't any other person in our whole family like her. She was an exceptional musician and personality. She was always advising us to look unique on the stage and avoid any conflicts with our colleagues and we were always following her advices. She was the first singer who popularized the Rhodope song back in 1942. In 1948 she launched a music duo. She established the legendary Kushlevi Sisters music quartet in 1956-1957. Later, my sister Sonya joined that formation. I became part of Kushlevi Sisters music sextet in 1969. We were side by side with my mother 24 hours a day until her last breath during a music tour in Veliko Tarnovo.”

Kushlevi family did a lot to preserve and popularize the repertoire and the music deed of Radka Kushleva. Her daughter Didi Kushleva has more about the initiatives dedicated to her 90th birth anniversary.

“In 1993 we launched the first national music contest named With the Songs of Radka Kushleva. In 1996 and 1999 we made a second a third music competition. In 2016 Konstantin Lazarov came up with the proposal that an exhibition dedicated to Radka Kushleva's 90thbirth anniversary should be unveiled at the Ethnographic Museum with the Bulgarian Academy of Science. On December 12 the State Archives in Smolyan opened an exhibition with exponents from our personal family archives. We donated photos and costumes to that exhibition. I would like to thank all who showed interest in my mother's music.”

English version: Kostadin Atanasov

Audio features the following songs:

1  Bela sum Bela Unache

2  Vecheray Rado

3  Kozhi Lyo, Pisan I Sheryan

4  Da Znaesh, Maycho, Da Znaesh