The Pirin Folk Ensemble

The Pirin Folk Song and Dances State Ensemble was founded in 1954 in Blagoevgrad. This town is located in southwestern Bulgaria, an area famous for its natural beauties and featuring seven mountains and rivers. These rivers flow to the south and into the Aegean Sea, and when we look at the map we can see that their way resembles two hands stretching out towards the world. Southwestern Bulgaria is a sunny district with plenty of small rivers and mountain lakes of silver color, green meadows as if covered with gem stones, and magical legends and sounds. And Blagoevgrad is a beautiful town showing a keen attitude for Bulgarian folk art.

It is often said that the songs and the various dances of the ensemble create warm atmosphere and bring people together. And this is really the case: The art of Pirin embodies the true folk talent, it is pure and sincere.

The songs and dances of Pirin always feature the folk motif. However they are also known for their modern rhythm, melody, and harmonization. These contribute to the variety of Pirin's repertoire

The Pirin Ensemble comprises of three major art units: folk orchestra, dance group, and women choir. The authentic folklore models and the original author's musical and dance works operate together in the performance of the ensemble. This defines the most characteristic feature of Pirin's art: It is an organic synthesis of the national, regional, and the personal aspect.

The man behind the ensemble's huge success was Prof. Kiril Stefanov. He was Pirin's chief art director and conductor. He has worked ceaselessly to promote Bulgarian folk music and dance art.

Under the management of Prof. Kiril Stefanov the Pirin Folk Ensemble has performed more than 7,000 concerts for an estimated 7 million spectators in 57 countries around the world. He has been awarded twice the Golden LP of Balkanton, the Bulgarian State Recording Company, and in 1982 he received the Nashville Golden LP. —Courtesy Calabash Music