Bilyana Miteva from Izmail wants to create music that will banish sadness from wounded souls

published on 1/30/23 1:14 PM

Photo: Darina Grigorova

The history of the Bessarabian Bulgarians, if we try to express it through a melody, will deeply touch the soul with its gentle multi-layered lyrics, which have collected the experiences over the years. From their establishment within the borders of the Russian Empire, after the series of Russo-Turkish wars at the end of the 18^thand the first half of the 19^th century, through the world wars, when they passed through the borders of other countries, to the military actions in today's Ukraine, they guarded Bulgaria in your heart.

Their roots are in their homeland Bulgaria and the lands of Dobruja, Sliven, Yambol and Odrin Thrace, and their life in Bolgrad, Izmail and Odessa, where they live in communities and preserve the Bulgarian language and culture in the cultural centres they created. And Bulgarian songs spring deep from their soul, narrating with sadness about the vicissitudes of their complex existence. This is how the performances of 19-year-old Bilyana Miteva from Izmail sound. The Bulgarian audience got to know her via the "Together for Ukraine" charity concert, organized in March last year by BNR and BNT in the National Theatre.

A few months before the war, in October 2021, Bilyana came to Sofia to study pop and jazz singing at the Prof. Pancho Vladigerov National Academy of Music. Her choice to come to Bulgaria was somewhat natural:

"Since I am a Bessarabian Bulgarian, my sister studied here and I decided that it would be very interesting for me to get to know my ancestral homeland, to see what the people are like here, how they live. My first difficulty was with the language, quite different than here, but I met many good friends who helped me, were by my side from the beginning and continue to support me”, notes Bilyana with a smile and adds sincerely: “There are many good helpful people, always.”

At the moment, her father, grandparents are in Ukraine, and her mother, with her brother, while they have the opportunity to travel, are coming, but for a little while. The question of whether he will return to Izmail or stay in Bulgaria still depends on many circumstances that he prefers not to talk about:

"Basically, I would like to go back and see my relatives, but here in Bulgaria a new page of my life has started”, notes Bilyana and tries to look positively at her present. “I have friends. I like everything at the Academy, the people are wonderful. Each professor has his or her own way of teaching, of communicating with students, and that's very nice."

In the world of music, Bilyana seems to have found the refuge that protects her soul from pain, suffering and the increasingly aggressive world in which people try to survive on a daily basis. Therefore, her dream is to banish sadness with her songs:

"I would like to create music from the soul - for the soul of other people.

Because times are difficult, many unpleasant things happen in our lives, and I would like people not to feel the bad, at least for a little while, listening to my songs and my music. It's very confusing right now, you don't know how to react, what to do. Even if you do come up with something, the circumstances may be such that they don't allow you to do it, and that's very sad."

Therefore, at the end of our short conversation, Bilyana wishes her compatriots in Ukraine patience, strength, not to lose faith "and everything will be fine, everything will be fine!"

You can watch performances of Bilyana Miteva HERE.

Photos: Darina Grigorova, Ani Petrova (BNR)

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