March 14 marks the 85th anniversary of the birth of famous singer Nadka Karadzhova - one of the emblematic voices of Bulgaria. She was born in the village of Tri Voditsi, in the region of Pazardzhik, in a family where folklore music was part of everyday life. She was just 15 years old when her beautiful voice  and musical talent impressed composer Philip Koutev at a festival of amateur art in Plovdiv. He invited her to the National Folklore Ensemble, which he established just a year earlier (in 1951).

Just 16-years-old, Nadka became part of the prestigious ensemble, in which she sang for four decades. During her lifetime she used to say: "The ensemble was my school, my university, my family."

Nadka Karadzhova performed on the world's biggest stages as a soloist of the Ensemble. In the 80s of the past century the singer created the "Slavey” (Nightingale) Quartet, which continued to amaze the fans of Bulgarian folklore around the world.

• Remembering great singer Nadka Karadzhova

Her song"Pilentse Pee" has been included in Japanese textbooks and children study it in music classes. For a certain period of time she was also soloist of the choirs "Vanya Moneva" and "The Great Voices of Bulgaria." She recorded hundreds of folk songs from the Trakiya (Thrace) region, which are now stored in the BNR’s audio fund.

Today, we have chosen for you the song "Dragana and the Nightingale"