In its 55-year record Konoush Band has emerged as a classical group in the genre of Thracian wedding music based on folklore. Its musicians have provided performances to generations of Bulgarians through their countless appearances at weddings, christening rituals, festivals, celebrations and concerts. During the legendary instrumental music competitions in the villages of Stambolovo and Gorski Izvor (near Haskovo in Southern Bulgaria) they have always received the highest prizes.

Founder and long-standing leader of Konoush Band is clarinetist Nikola Iliev. He has academic training but has devoted his entire career to folk music and the band named after his native village of Konoush. The band is vastly popular not only in the region of Thrace. Regardless of the changes in the band’s lineup and its repertoire the musicians remain loyal to the classical style of wedding melodies and chain dances. It is known that the Thracian musicians readily join the celebrations of their colleagues.

In April some of the most famous wedding bands invited their fans to the town of Chirpan, Southern Bulgaria, to mark the 85^th anniversary of Professor Petko Radev. Many famous singers and instrumentalists from Thrace will also join the anniversary celebration ofKonoush Band. More from Nikola Iliev:

English Daniela Konstantinova