Interview with Alexander Raychev in the programme “Our Day” on the Bulgarian National Radio.
On March 5, Prof. Adriana Blagoeva, conductor of the Sofia Boys’ Choir, was born.
On March 5, 2021, Adriana Blagoeva was featured as the Main Guest in the programme “Our Day” on the Bulgarian National Radio.
“The birthday is the most special day, I suppose not only for me. It is always connected with what I have achieved so far and what I could accomplish in the future. I wish for myself new opportunities and new paths for development.”
“I am one of those people who, long before joining the student ranks of the National Academy of Music, had already been engaged in music. From primary school I had a strong desire to play the piano, and I studied it for many years. Music has always been part of my life and of my parents’ lives, so it was very natural for me to turn to the musical profession.”
Choral Conducting
“I had a great desire to devote myself specifically to choral conducting. And I had the chance to meet pedagogues who taught me many important and valuable things about the profession. I mean my professors of choral conducting – Ana Belcheva and Prof. Veneta Vicheva, with whom I worked for some time together with her ensembles in the city of Shumen – the Bodra Pesen Choir and the Rodni Zvutsi Choir – as well as my other teachers at the National Academy of Music. For me, the choice of the conducting profession and the professional path of the musician came naturally.”
“Already as a third-year student I had the opportunity to begin my professional work with a children’s choir. This was the Children’s Choir of the city of Samokov. I worked there for about five years before moving to Shumen to work with Prof. Vicheva. Of course, my meeting with her was decisive for my artistic biography, because she was a personality of extraordinary potential – both human and creative.”
Distinctions
“For me, the awards – both personal and for our choir – are a form of recognition and a testament to the tremendous effort made by the boys who have been part of the ensemble, devoted to promoting Bulgarian choral art both at home and abroad.”
“Among its many honors, the Sofia Boys’ Choir is a two-time recipient of the Crystal Lyre, the most prestigious music award in Bulgaria, presented by the Union of Bulgarian Musicians and Dancers. Another award, bestowed on the choir on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, is the Order of St. John Koukouzel of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The ensemble has also been granted the Honorary Insignia of Sofia Municipality in celebration of its jubilee.”
You can listen to the interview from the audio file here:
Prof. Dr. Adriana Blagoeva is a Bulgarian choral conductor. She has led the Sofia Boys’ Choir since 1989. Under her direction, the choir has expanded and enriched its repertoire, intensified its concert and recording activities, and won prestigious awards at international choral competitions. Adriana Blagoeva has transformed the Sofia Boys’ Choir into a vocal school with three concert formations – boys’, youth, and mixed.
Adriana Blagoeva graduated from the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” in Sofia with a degree in Choral Conducting and is currently Professor of Choral Conducting at the Academy.
She was awarded the Special Conductor’s Prize at the First International Choral Competition in Bolzano, Italy (2000). With the Sofia Boys’ Choir she has won one Grand Prize, five First Prizes, and five Second Prizes at seven international choral competitions, as well as the Silver Lyre (1998), the Golden Lyre (2003), and the Crystal Lyre (2009 and 2012) of the Union of Bulgarian Musicians and Dancers; the Honorary Plaque of the Ministry of Culture for outstanding artistic achievements; the Golden Plaque of the Bulgarian Choral Union; the prestigious Musician of the Year Award for 2002 in the category “Active Creative Activity” in the ranking of the Allegro Vivace programme of the Bulgarian National Radio; and many others. The Sofia Boys’ Choir has released nine solo recordings and participated in nine additional albums in collaboration with other ensembles.
Prof. Dr. Adriana Blagoeva has taken part in academic conferences on the problems of choral singing, music pedagogy, and education in Bulgaria, Russia, Greece, and Spain. She has conducted open rehearsals with the Sofia Boys’ Choir in Greece, Germany, and Japan, and has led masterclasses in choral conducting and ensemble work in Mexico.
Source: Bulgarian National Radio
