bgFOCUS

THEODOSII SPASSOV,
www.theodosiispassov.com

NEWSWEEK: "He actually created a new musical genre."

CHICAGO TRIBUNE: "....like a jam session between Ian Anderson and Thelonius Monk."

BERLINER MORGENPOST: "What he manages to produce on his wooden flute is sensational."

HOWARD ROVICS: "His work on the Kaval was nothing short of pure genius."

CHRIS NICKSON: "....Spassov sounds like the late flutist and saxophonist Rahsaan Roland Kirk Except Spassov plays a simple, rural shepherd's flute."

- Member of the company of the Irish music and dance "Riverdance"

- The International Academy of Arts in Paris Award, 1996

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TATIANA SARBINSKA,
www.tatianasarbinska.com

BOSTON GLOBE: "Tatiana Sarbinska keeps the music of Bulgaria alive.
Her voice cutting through with the sharp, bright sound of the great Bulgarian singer."

BOSTON HERALD: Tatiana Sarbinska performs with a brilliant style,
with a rich vocal technique, a wide vocal range, and a lively artistic presence."

VOICE OF AMERICA: "Tatiana is amazing. She’s an amazing artist,
and amazing performer, an incredible voice.

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THEODOSII SPASSOV FOLK PROJECT BAND

PEYO TRENDAFILOV PEEV
Gadulka (traditional Bulgarian three-stringed musical instrument played with a bow)

Peyo Peev was born in Stara Zagora in 1975. He started playing with the Youth Folk Ensemble Zagorche and went on to graduate from the Filip Kutev National School of Folk Arts in Kotel in 1994. After graduation from the renowned Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv in 1998,

he joined the Filip Kutev National Folk Song & Dance Ensemble.

Today Peyo is a soloist with the Folk Music Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio. He has is a two-time recipient of the Golden Gadulka Award (1996 and 1997) – created in honor of the legendary Bulgarian gadulka player Yanko Petrov.

He has collaborated with distinguished Bulgarian musicians such as Ivo Papazov, Peter Ralchev and Stoyan Yankulov. Career highlights include participation in the 1997 world tour of the acclaimed Bulgarian women’s choir The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices as well as participation in the world-famous Riverdance show (1999 - 2000).

IVAN SIMEONOV GEORGIEV
Gaida (Bulgarian bagpipe)

Ivan was born in Burgas, Bulgaria in 1976. He graduated from the Filip Kutev National School of Folk Arts in Kotel, in 1995. He specialized in bagpipe and folk orchestra conducting at the renowned Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv, from which he graduated in 1999.

Today he is on the faculty of the Academy and regularly performs with its National Orchestra. Ivan also tours with the acclaimed Bulgarian women's choir The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices and also as an accompanist to the vocal quartet Slavei. He makes regular appearances in international piping festivals all over the world such as the William Kennedy Piping Festival in Northern Ireland in 2007.

”…. musician with stunning technical mastery of both the djura gaida and the kaba gaida. Ivan has a passion for his culture's music and a flair for engaging his audiences and taking them into realms of musical experience they had not imagined.
-- Dr Mike Paterson, Piping Today magazine, Scotland

GENADIY SAVOV RASHKOV
Tupan (traditional Bulgarian double-headed bass drum)

Genadiy was born in the Bessarabian Bulgarian village of Suvorovo, in South Ukraine in 1973. Following high school graduation in 1990, Genadiy performed for four years with the Bulgarian ensemble at the Moldova Philharmonic Orchestra in the city of Taraclia.

In 1994, he commenced his studies as a percussionist at the renowned Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. As a student of percussion at the Academy, he played with Dance Ensemble Hem under the direction of Ivan Georgiev and with the Children’s Center Ensemble under the direction of Vencislava Ilienska.

Since 2004, Genadii has played in the acclaimed Filip Kutev National Folk Song & Dance Ensemble. His most distinguished appearances with the ensemble include shows at Royal Albert Hall in London and at Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan, as well as numerous performances at Bulgarian presidential and PM state visits abroad.

PETAR SASHKOV MILANOV
Tambura and Guitar (Tambura is a traditional Bulgarian eight or four-stringed musical instrument)

Petar was born in 1977 and started playing at the age of 6. He studied tambura and piano at the famous Music Folklore High School in Shiroka Luka.

Shiroka Luka Village is a unique architectural and ethnographic reserve in Bulgaria. It is a symbol of the culture and the spirit of the Rhodope Mountains.
The village is famous for its unique Rhodopian style, music traditions and history.
Petar is interested in exploring fusion among different instrumental technique and has recorded performances on guitar, bass and bouzouki.
Currently, Petar plays and tours with the world acclaimed Filip Kutev National Folk Song & Dance Ensemble.