Songs of Bulgaria was born from a moment of unexpected inspiration, two years before a note would ever hit the page. In my freshman year of college, a classmate introduced me to a sound world I had never encountered—the music of traditional Bulgarian women’s choirs—raw, powerful, and deeply beautiful. I was both utterly captivated and confused. Why had I never heard anything like this before? I immersed myself in Bulgarian folk traditions—especially the haunting melodies found in Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, an album by the Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir—as well as the rich history of the nation. The result is a blend of ancient traditions and new expressions—an homage to Bulgarian folk music, reimagined through the colors of the wind ensemble. At its core, Songs of Bulgaria is a search for identity. The work consists of three movements, each drawing inspiration from traditional Bulgarian folk songs, while being interwoven with original material composed in the same spirit.

The first movement, “Svatba!,” captures the vigor, energy, and joy of a traditional Bulgarian wedding. Lively dance rhythms, colorful orchestrations, and shifting meters mirror the dynamic nature of these celebrations—festive, communal, and steeped in ritual.

The second movement, “Pesen na Naroda,” reflects the struggles of the Bulgarian people across centuries of political upheaval and cultural resilience. Two soloists, the oboe and English horn, stand firmly against the power of the ensemble with resolve and grace, representing a people holding tightly to their heritage amid the sweeping tides of change.

The final movement, “Bulgarski Tantsi,” is a synthesis of the first two chapters—a tribute to both the joy and the sorrow etched into Bulgaria’s cultural memory. Rapid meter changes, layered polyrhythms, and relentless ostinatos reflect a people in motion, always adapting, yet deeply rooted in tradition. In its final burst of sound and spirit, Songs of Bulgaria embraces the full spectrum of identity—light and darkness, celebration and struggle—not as opposites, but as inseparable threads in the same tapestry.