A Glass of Wine with…
19:30 at the “Nikola Vaptsarov – 1894” Community Center
August 6, Sunday
Mimi Nikolova has been enchanting us with her songs for 65 years, and she will present the most beautiful ones live at the Bansko Jazz Festival. From her first hit, “Zamalchi, zamalchi”, to the love anthem”, Kogato lunata izpluva”, and the danceable “Sinio,” the concert will be a romantic journey through decades of our musical history. In celebration of a key moment, “Kaliakra” will be performed, the first song to win the “Golden Orpheus” in 1965, back then named “Songs for the Bulgarian Black Sea.” The new arrangements are by pianist Samuel Eftimov, and the trio includes Atanas Popov on drums and Vladislav Mirchev on double bass. The special guest will be trombonist Velislav Stoyanov, the grandson of Yosif Tzankov.
August 7, Monday
Nedko Troshanov is among the founders of ensembles such as “Jazz of the Young” – second edition, Septet “Sofia,” the Orchestra of the Satirical Theater, the Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio and Television, and the “Balkanton” Orchestra. He composes, arranges, conducts, and records hundreds of pieces. After finishing his career as a soloist, he became the Chief Artistic Director of the Orchestra of the Ensemble of Construction Troops. He taught for many years at the National Music Academy “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov.”
August 8, Tuesday
Stefan Slavov is a soloist in the Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio and Television, for which he writes pieces performed by vocalists like Stefka Onikyan and Vasil Petrov. He created the Sofia Dixieland and recorded an album with them in “Balkanton” featuring vocalist Kamelia Todorova. Later, the formation expanded its repertoire and renamed it “Dixie Swing.” Bulgarian National Television filmed numerous music programs with their participation.
August 9, Wednesday
20 Preludes for Piano
Meeting with Zhivko Petrov
“20 Preludes for Piano” by Zhivko Petrov is a musical confession by our brilliant pianist. At its core are the scores from his two solo albums, “After 4” and “Ten.” Each piece is preceded by short but touching thoughts related to music. Their recordings are on a USB flash drive, symbolically opening the door to the artist’s heart.
August 10, Thursday
Liana Antonova is a Bulgarian singer who conquered Las Vegas, where she reached with her artistry and vocal talent. She mainly performs worldwide, captivating audiences in Romania, Austria, Switzerland, Scandinavian countries, Germany, and many others. Liana Antonova is impressive in the film “The Ancient Coin,” from which the popular song “Lyubovta e more” (“Love is the Sea”) originates. A significant part of her creative journey is connected with saxophonist Angel Veznev.
August 11, Friday
“The Singing Shoes” feature film, 140 min, 2016, inspired by the life of singer Lea Ivanova Starring: Donna Bangiozova, Raya Peeva, Ernestina Shinova, Alexander Alexiev, Yulian Petrov, Borislav Chuchkov, Stefan Shterev, Stefan Valdobrev, Stoyan Alexiev, Krastyo Lafazanov. Meeting with Radoslav Spasov, screenwriter, director, and producer.
August 12, Saturday
Leni Valkova is the first Bulgarian professional jazz singer, a soloist in the Orchestra of Asen Ovcharov in the second half of the 1940s. Soon, she gained immense popularity and was proclaimed the Queen of Jazz. For a while, she performed with “The Three L’s”, – a program featuring Lea Ivanova and Liana Antonova. In 2020, Jazz FM released the first album of Leni Valkova with her archival recordings and performances at the age of 93, about which the executive producer Svetoslav Nikolov will tell us more.