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Pirin Ensemble on a tour of France (28 July – 15 August)

Photo: courtesy of Pirin Ensemble

As of July 28 until mid-August, the Pirin Ensemble will be performing in three different locations in France. The ensemble was founded 60 years ago and in its repertoire it has more than 600 songs, orchestra and choir pieces and dance shows.

The Pirin Ensemble has given more than 7,000 concerts to an audience of more than one million in Bulgaria and in 60 other countries in all corners of the planet. Pirin is one of the most widely recognizable folklore groups, ambassadors of traditional Bulgarian music.

Here is more about Pirin’s tour of France and how it came about from Danislav Kehayov, chief artistic leader of the ensemble:

“I am very happy that the Pirin Ensemble will visit France at the invitation of the International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts (CIOFF) - France and UNESCO. We shall perform at three festivals, from 28 - 31of July in Maintenon, then from 1 – 8 August in Felletin and from 9 – 15 August we wind up in Montoire. Alongside emblematic music from the region of Pirin in Southwestern Bulgaria, we have also included music and dance from other musical regions – the Shoppe region around Sofia, Thrace and the region of Sredna Gora.”

Folk singer Danislav Kehayov is a renowned musician from the Thracian folklore region. He has been artistic leader of Pirin Ensemble for two years:

“Pirin Ensemble is now back on the road to conquer leading world stages,” he says. “We have toured France before. We have played in the square in front of the Louvre to an audience of 10,000. We have been applauded in Dubai, Sicily, Romania, Greece. We have been successful in bringing in performers of the young generation, we are a viable ensemble that is constantly evolving. It is still too early to divulge any details but we are working on two new shows. Let us hope we shall be able to present them to the public at the beginning of next year. Every performance by the Pirin Ensemble is a thing of beauty, but our most emblematic piece is undoubtedly The voice of Pirin.”

English version: Milena Daynova



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