VARIMEZOVA Tzvetanka

Tzvetanka VARIMEZOVA (Bulgaria)

Bulgarian folkloric soprano Tzvetanka Varimezova was born in Pazardzhik in Bulgarian Thrace. She started singing and playing accordion at age 9, and went to master tambura (a Bulgarian folklore string instrument) and piano, at Kotel high School for Folk Music and at the Plovdiv Conservatory. From 1979 to 1996, she performed as a soloist and assistant conductor with the Bulgarian National Ensembles Trakija, Philip Koutev, and Pazardzhik. Since 1989 she has been a soloist of Cosmic Voices from Bulgaria, and Les Grand Voix Bulgares, both specializing in Bulgarian folk and Orthodox music. She is also performing with Trio Bojura of which she is a founder. With these ensembles and others, she has toured throughout Europe, Russia, Japan, Latin America, and the U.S.A. In 1993 she began working with two Bulgarian-style choirs in Denmark, Sedjanka and Usmifka. Since 2001, she has been a master artist in residence at UCLA’s Ethnomusicology department, where she teaches Balkan singing technique and conducts the UCLA Bulgarian Women’s choir Superdevoiche. She also works as a coach to the American choirs Nevenka, Zhena, Borne to Drone, and Planina. She is currently an artistic director of Kitka choir in Oakland, CA. During 2005 and 2006 Tzvetanka was one of the selected teachers invited to the workshop organized at the Rhythmic Musical Conservatory of Denmark. Tzvetanka is one of the regular teachers at the annually organized Mendocino Balkan Music and Dance Workshop in Northern California and Labyrinth Musical Workshops in Greece. Pieces of her music you can listen HERE.