"The Echoes of the Mokranjac Days" 2016 - ANNOUNCEMENT
The Academic Choir Angel Manolov, Sofia (Bulgaria)
The winner of the Choir’s Singing Competition at the festival "The Mokranjac Days" in Negotin on 2015
Conductor: Darena Popova
In cooperation with the Music Centre of Kragujevac, the Mokranjac Foundation is organizing a concert “The Echoes of the Mokranjac Days”2016 on which perform the choir Angel Manolov from Sofia, the winner of the Singing Competition of choirs at the festival “The Mokranjac Days” in Negotin, 2015.
The Academic Choir Angel Manolov was founded in 1933 by maestro Angel Manolov and it is one of the first students’ choirs in Bulgaria. During its more than 80-years existence the Choir has performed 4000+ concerts in Bulgaria and 350+ abroad. The Choir is a laureate of a number of first prizes and gold medals, diplomas and honors from choir festivals and competitions in Budapest, Berlin, Prague, Moscow, Vienna, Langollen, Varna, Stockholm, Oslo, Torrevieja, Arezzo, Antalya etc. In the period since 1933 until nowadays over 4100 students have been members of the Choir, 250 of them have chosen music as their profession. Among them are the well-known throughout the opera singers: Boris Christov, Margarita Lilova, Alexandrina Milcheva and others. The repertoire of the Choir includes a wide variety of compositions from different periods and styles: Bulgarian and Russian works for choir, Slavonic Orthodox chants, West European classical works as well as various pieces by contemporary composers from different countries. Since 1998, the Choir’s conductor is Darena Popova.
Darena Popova graduated from the State Academy of Music, Sofia in 1984 with a major in choir conducting in the class of prof. Vassil Arnaudov. Since 1998 Darena Popova has been a conductor of Academic Choir Angel Manolov, Sofia and since 2005 – of the folklore formation Chemerika. Her high professional responsibility is a prerequisite for her choirs’ successful future. In the recent years Darena Popova is a laureate of a number of first prizes and gold medals, diplomas and honours from choir festivals and competitions in Spain, Denmark, Austria, Slovakia, United Kingdom, Italy and France. In the 51st and 55th International Contest in Torrevieja – Spain, respectively in 2005 and 2009, Darena Popova won twice Best conductor prize Jose Hodarin. In the Freamunde International Choir Competition, Freamunde – Portugal, 2010 Darena Popova won the prize Best conductor. Darena Popova is a member of Europa Cantat since 1993.
On the concert it will be performed the composition Kupi mi babo volove for mixed choir by Zdenko Radeta, won at the Contest for a new choral composition on 2015 of the Mokranjac Foundation.
Saturday 10.09.2016 at 20 hours, Kragujevac- The First Grammar Hall
Admission free