In 2016 Bulgaria marks the 90^th birth anniversary of celebrated Bulgarian singer Yovcho Karaivanov. He placed among the most prominent figures in Bulgaria’s folklore culture. Yovcho Karaivanov combines natural talent, wonderful lyrical voice and an innate taste and exactingness toward the pure Thracian music style. “Music is for smart people. You can’t understand it until you fall in love with it”, Yovcho Karaivanov used to say.

Yovcho Karaivanov worked for some time as an editor at the Bulgarian National Radio. He was responsible for the purity of the music dialects before the songs were recorded in a studio. He always consulted with folklorists from the Bulgarian Academy of Science during the working process. He was interested in stories which crated folk patterns. He left that legacy to his students from the National School of Folk Arts Philip Koutev from the town of Kotel, as well as to his Thracian followers who made a successful music career such as celebrated singers Krasimir Stanev, Danislav Kehayov, Binka Dobreva and many others. Yovcho Karaivanov recorded over 250 Thracian folk songs. He was a brilliant soloist both on the village stage and the concert podium in Bulgaria and abroad.

Although Yovcho Karaivanov studied law, he dedicated his life entirely to the Thracian folk song and turned it into a mission of his life. His professors at the university criticized him for his addiction to music, because they believed that he would become a successful lawyer. However, Yovcho Karaivanov’s  passion for the local folklore and his desire to make people happy with his music prevailed.

Yovcho Karaivanov is among Bulgaria’s folk singers who are always open to different music genres and arts. He is known for his partiality to opera, theatre and literature. Here is what Academician Nikolay Kaufman once said about his exceptional singing choral mastery: Yovcho Karaivanov is a lucky phenomenon in our music life! He is among the best achievements of the Bulgarian folk school.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov