Famed singer Dinka Ruseva left us just days after she turned 70, depriving us of a warm and kind person, an exceptional performer of the colourful Thracian folklore. A talent, celebrated by her colleagues, fans and experts of Thracian folk music. As time takes its course, her musical legacy shall not be forgotten.

Born in Pet Mogili village near Sliven, as a child Dinka Ruseva would often listen to her father play the kaval and sing along. Her exceptional performance at the Aglikina Polyana festival in 1968, which earned her a gold medal, paved the way to her singing career. There followed numerous invitations to sing at weddings, fairs and concerts. In 1980, on the advice of virtuoso rebec player Atanas Vulchev, the singer recorded some of her Thracian songs at the Bulgarian National Radio, to the accompaniment of his instrumental group, and later – with the BNR’s Folk Music Orchestra. She was a popular soloist of the weddings orchestras Avligite, Trakia, Konushenskata Grupa. A wedding music festival is organized in Radnevo every summer, called Nasledstovo (Heritage), which features a contest “With Dinka Ruseva’s songs”, a wonderful occasion for orchestras from the entire Thracian region to get together, and for “multiply” horos to be danced (the horo dances which twist in several concentric circles or in a spiral).

Family friend and great fan of Dinka Ruseva’s music Todor Todorov remembers:

“I was introduced to Dinka Ruseva by rebec player Atanas Vulchev. He called me up and said: “I found a terrific singer at a wedding in Thrace.” And that was Dinka Ruseva. She also played the accordion, and sang songs by Bulgaria’s most famous pop singer Lili Ivanova. The first song that got my attention was “Nicola was saying to Petranka”. A lot has been said about her singing and I can definitely say she will remain unparalleled. Many singers have tried to copy her singing, but they can never attain her fine “vibrato” or the sweetness of her voice. Listeners can distinguish every word of the lyrics and that is important. I have many memories of her, I know her family, her children. Her elder son, Dragia, plays the accordion and now works in Switzerland, her younger son used to play the clarinet and the saxophone in Ivo Papazov’s orchestra, and her husband, and now – with Todor Kozhuharov’s orchestra Yushni Ritmi (Southern Rhythms). Most often she sang at weddings, baptisms, fairs, festivals. Regrettably, Dinka has not released a CD of her music, and has just one LP, released more than 30 years ago. I do hope someone will make a compilation of her songs on CD for her fans to enjoy and the young to learn from. Dinka has a song entitled “Shine up high, little star,” and I dearly hope she is now shining like a star above. She will remain forever in the memories of her fans, as long as Bulgaria and Bulgarian folklore continue to exist, Dinka Ruseva shall not be forgotten. I hope songs of hers will be included in school books.”

English version: Milena Daynova