Folklorist Maria Kuteva: “She does more than sing, she “narrates” the song. The ease and the purity of her performance conveys the impression that her voice is infinite.” The acclaimed singer herself used to say: “To sing my songs takes courage.” The repertoire she has left us is momentous – more than 350 songs from Thrace.

Her family background as she grew up in Lyulin village near Yambol was particularly favourable to bringing out her talent as a singer. She grew up with the songs she heard at working bees, fetes, weddings, on winter nights and while helping her mother with the chores when she would be singing along with her. She was only 14 (in 1936) when she sang at the village Feast of the Ascension and her performance astonished one of the people listening – the brother of famous clarinet player Ramadan Lolov. She got an invitation to make recordings for the Arfa (Harp) record label, and later for Simonavia, a breakthrough on the music market that brought Vulkana Stoyanova immense popularity among fans of Thracian songs. And she went on to perform at village fetes. In 1951 she won the audition for singers for a new folk song and dance ensemble in Sofia, being admitted first out of the 430 applicants for the ensemble’s choir. Philip Kutev himself admired her talent and frequently entrusted her with the choir solos and individual performances together with acclaimed kaval player Nikola Ganchev during concert tours in this country and around the world. 

Vulkana Stoyanova passed her singing skills onto her students at the National School of Folk Arts in Kotel where she was invited to tutor. Her students include famous names like Binka Dobreva, Tsvetana Varimezova, Desislava Doneva, Maria Koleva and many more. 

A competition called “With Vilkana Stoyanova’s songs” has been organized in Straldzha since 1995, a springboard for young Thracian singers. In 2015 a foundation named Vulkana Stoyanova was set up. A book with the musical scores and lyrics of her most famous songs was released to help students of Thracian folklore.

In 2017 we mark 95 years since the birth of Vulkana Stoyanova. Todor Todorov, a prominent expert in Thracian music and longtime friend of Vulkana Stoyanova remembers:

“She was a talent recognized by folklorists, but also by her colleagues. She has been soloist of the Philip Kutev ensemble many times. Many singers have been overshadowed by her. To me she is a colossus, the diva of Bulgarian folk music.  And I can quote the words of colleagues of hers, for example, legendary Thracian singer Yovcho Karaivanov once said: “I was ten when I heard her sing “Dimitar loading a barge” and ever since, my blood has been on fire and will be even beyond the grave.” Verka Siderova, renowned singer of folk songs from Northern Bulgaria: “In Egypt there are pyramids, our “pyramids” are our folklore. Vulkana is at the top of the pyramids, we can only look up to her.” Verka admitted to me that she took Vulkana as her model for singing and also for performing on stage. Nedyalka Keranova, another acclaimed singer once said at a fete: “There is a woman here we should all revere because she deserves so much respect. She is the mother of folk songs – Vulkana Stoyanova.” Nadka Karadjova used to call her the doyen of Bulgarian folk music. Vulkana knew her worth, but she was also very critical of her own self. On her 70th birthday in 1992 she came out to sing with a camera recording her performance. When she saw the video she said to me: “Never let me go up on a stage again.” When she heard her vibrato that sounded like an old gramophone record, she decided to never sing again. She was very exacting of her students. When she was a teacher in Kotel she demanded every detail of the song just right. There was one student she was very fond of – Desislava. “She is the student who will take my place,” she would say. She gave her a lot of advice, and was really disappointed when Desislava opted for pop folk. Vulkana Stoyanova will be a name on people’s lips as long as there is Bulgarian folklore, as long as there is Bulgaria.”

English version: Milena Daynova