CHESTITA BABA MARTA – Честита Баба Марта! It’s time to welcome Grandmother March and spring. Wear your red and white tokens until you see the first stork — or if 
there aren’t any storks in your neighborhood, until you see the first blossoming tree.
BULGARIAN SONG WORKSHOP FOR CHILDREN AND PARENTS – We’re joining forces again with RhizomeDC! Kids of all ages — parents optional but welcome — will learn traditional Bulgarian songs and the stories and traditions they spring from. Two workshops . . . and the chorus will join Orfeia and sing what they’ve learned at a performance! Sign up (and more information) here.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS – MORE SPRING EVENTS. Multicultural Fair at University of Mary Washington on April 13, National Cherry Blossom Festival on April 5, European Union Embassy Open House on May 11. Check Hear Orfeia at and Calendar for more details.
STARTING THE DAY WITH CREATIVE MORNINGS — a wonderful series with a wide-awake and enthusiastic audience!
THANKS TO THE RALPH J. BUNCHE LIBRARY and the Department of State for hosting our performance of Eastern European traditional music. Not surprisingly, the audience did a great job learning a Bulgarian song! We were delighted to be joined by Ambassador Tihomir Stoytchev and Dr. George Lazarov.
THE BALKANALIA WAS A BLAST. We had a fabulous time joining forces with Orchester Praževica and DMV Balkan Brass for “Balkan Beltway – A Balkan Musical Showcase,” part of Jim Thomson/Multiflora Productions Flash of the Spirit 
Worldwide Sounds Festival 2018.
BULGARIAN MUSIC SOCIETY 10th ANNIVERSARY GALA. The Bulgarian Music Society has presented 60 concerts featuring more than 400 performers from all over the world, and we were delighted to be a part of this concert featuring the beauty of classical music, the majesty of a
$3-million modern organ, the joy of musical theater, the power of opera . . . and the magic of Bulgarian folklore!
MNOGAJA LETA, GEORGE LAZAROV! Orfeia was honored to be a part of Да Даваш от Душа (You Gave
From the Soul), a documentary about Dr. George Lazarov, a renowned and innovative surgeon and long-time supporter of the arts in the U.S. and Bulgaria. That’s Orfeia’s Elin Zurbrigg you hear over the closing credits.
IN MEMORIAM: NICKOLAI KAUFMAN (1925 – 2018). An acclaimed musicologist, folklorist and researcher and a prolific composer, arranger and author, Nikolai Kaufman’s music and scholarship have had a lasting and profound impact. Here is “Hubava Milka,” one of his many exquisite arrangements.
CHILDREN’S WORKSHOPS AND PERFORMANCE. The kids were amazing – they sounded great and sang before a full house at the Botev Academy. Check out our Facebook page and the Botev Academy Facebook page for photos! Here’s a sample of what they learned, sung by two of the participants!
LIVE@5 on WPFW! It was a delight to be invited back by such a great station! Hope some of you jazz and blues lovers are now Balkan music fans.
TANYA ON THE JUDGES PANEL. Tatiana Sarbinska joined other luminaries of Bulgarian traditional music to judge the bi-annual “New Music in 7/8” competition held in Chepelare, Bulgaria. 7/8 is one of the most characteristic of Bulgarian traditional music’s unique rhythms. Check out the competition!
CONGRATULATIONS, TANYA! Tatiana Sarbinska was awarded the Honorary Medal of the President of Bulgaria for
her contribution to Bulgarian arts and culture. The award was presented by Rosen Plevneliev, President of Bulgaria. БЪЛГАРИЯ СЕ ГОРДЕЕ С ТЕБ — Bulgaria is proud of you — and so are we!!
ORFEIA IS ON AmazonSmile! You can help Orfeia every time you shop! Go to https://smile.amazon.com/ and choose Orfeia as your non-profit organization of choice — up to 0.5% of your purchase price will be donated to us! Please take a second to do this — we need and appreciate your support.![tatiana_portrait_4[1]](https://orfeia.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/tatiana_portrait_41.jpg)
A NEW BULGARIAN MUSIC FAN! Ansu emailed us, “Your performance at the Embassy of Bulgaria for #EUOpenHouse was entrancing. I especially liked your explanation of dissonance and rhythm in the Bulgarian folk compositions, that helped us appreciate what we were hearing even more. I loved the slightly eastern-tonality of your pieces. I look forward to attending more performances. People literally stopped in their tracks on the street to listen to you…outstanding harmonies and unusual, stimulating sound. Great job you all! I posted about you on Twitter.” Thanks!!
