Bulgarian Dance Party with music by Bulgarika

Saturday, September 21, 2019, 8–11 pm

Payson Park Congregational Church parish hall, 365 Belmont Street, Belmont, Massachusetts

FAC is pleased to welcome Bulgarika back to Boston on their 2019 tour. We’ll join Donka Koleva, Nikolay Kolev, Temelko Ivanov, Nikolay Kodzhabashev, and Marin Chalamov for an evening of fantastic Bulgarian music and dancing!

To arrange for private music lessons with the band members, contact Donka Koleva by phone at 646-296-4045 or by email.

Party admission $20 / FAC members $18 / Students $15

Bulgarika 2019

Donka Koleva (vocals) is a native of the village of Tuzha in the Stara Zagora region of Thrace. She graduated from the National School of Folk Arts in Shiroka Luka, Bulgaria, and performed for three years with the Sliven Folk Dance and Music Ensemble. She was director of the Folk Song Chorus of Sopot, has been a featured soloist on Bulgarian Radio-TV, has participated in numerous singing competitions in Bulgaria and Europe, and has been featured on many recordings. In 1997, her recording of “Javore” was named Song of the Year in the Bulgarian National Radio competition. Since immigrating to the US, she has taught and performed widely across North America, both privately and at numerous camps, festivals, and other events.

Nikolay Kolev (gadulka), a native of the Thracian Rose Valley village of Karavelovo, has been playing gadulka since age 10. After graduating from the National School of Folk Arts in Shiroka Luka, Bulgaria, he performed for three years with the Sliven Folk Dance and Music Ensemble. In 1984 he founded the orchestra Sopot, in 1985 the wedding music ensemble Rozova Dolina, and in 1992 the prize-winning ensemble Balkanski Glasove. In 1994 and 1995 the latter group took first prizes at the Varna Festival. Nikolay has accompanied many well-known singers including Vulkana Stojanova, Roumen Rodopski, and Todor Kozhuharov. He has also taught many students at a number of Balkan camps in the US. In 1999, Nikolay was the first Bulgarian to be recognized by the Slavic Heritage Council of America for his outstanding contributions to music.

Temelko Ivanov (kaval) has been a member of the renowned Trakia Ensemble since 1996. In 1990, he graduated with honors from the National Music School “Filip Koutev” and in 2000 from the Bulgarian National Conservatory with specialties in Conducting and Music Pedagogy. He subsequently received a Masters in Performance Arts from the Conservatory. He has served as a lecturer and jury panelist at many folklore seminars and competitions in Bulgaria.

Nikolay Kodzhabashev (tambura) is a soloist with the Sliven Folk Dance and Music Ensemble and a member of the Perla folk band (tambura, guitar). He graduated in 2005 from XI K. Konstantinov High School in Sliven with a music profile and in 2010 from the Bulgarian National Conservatory. In 2011 he received a Masters in Performance Arts from the Conservatory. He received multiple awards in youth music competitions and won the First Place award of the National Folk Competition for Tambura Performers “Rusko Stefanov” in 2007 and 2009.

Marin Chalamov (tupan), from the Thracian town of Karlovo, has been a musician and instructor since 1990 with the Karlovo-based ensemble Rozova Dolina, which has received many prizes at international festivals. He appears regularly with the award-winning men’s folk singing group from the village of Dŭbene in the Karlovo area. Marin is also a skilled maker of tupans.


Visit FAC’s 2019 Bulgarika party page on Facebook.

Download the 2019 Bulgarika party flier.