Autumn Newsletter 2024
2024 Edition Recap
Our summer festival celebrated its Sixth Edition in July and August with many memorable concerts, meetings, and events. The center of our programs were our collaborations with the composers Lora Al-Ahmad, Svetlin Hristov, and Peter Kerkelov, as well as the premieres of their new works, commissioned and written especially for our festival team of musicians.
We look forward to sharing video recordings of the works in the coming months, as well as a short documentary feature on our composers’ residency program, The Path is Yours.
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Photos from rehearsals and performances with the composers Peter Kerkelov, Lora Al-Ahmad and Svetlin Hristov at work with the Off the Beaten Path musicians. |
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Special Guest Artists
This year, the programs focused on chamber music with clarinet. We are thrilled to have shared the stage with world-renowned clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein, who led the Weber and Brahms clarinet quintet performances and the world premieres of Peter Kerkelov and Svetlin Hristov's works. Alex was also featured in the Khachaturian Trio and Dobrinka Tabakova’s Sextet for Clarinet, Piano, and String Quartet Moreni. In addition, we had the pleasure of collaborating with one of the finest violinists in North America who performed in Bulgaria for the first time – the concertmaster of the National Arts Orchestra in Ottawa Yosuke Kawasaki. He led the performances of works by Bach, Brahms, Mozart, and others, and performed in the premiere of the Piano Quintet by Lora Al-Ahmad.
Our team of musicians also included for the first time the renowned Bulgarian pianist Anna Petrova, who came to Bulgaria especially for the festival from Louisville, Kentucky, where she lives and works, and Teodora Atanasova, a masterful cellist and chamber musician from Sofia.
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Teodora Atanasova, cello, Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet, Anna Petrova, piano and Yosuke Kawasaki, violin with Off the Beaten Path musicians Rumen Cvetkov, viola, Lora Tchekortova, piano, Georgy Valtchev, violin, Alexander Somov, violoncello |
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Debut Album Recording
Our collaboration with Dobrinka Tabakova continues. We performed two of her chamber works in Gotse Delchev – On a Bench in the Shade for String Quartet and the Moreni sextet. After the festival, we spent a week with her at the Sofia Music Academy recording studio, working with the acclaimed producer from the BBC, Stephen Portnoi on our first album. You can learn about our upcoming album HERE.
Georgy Valtchev, Stephen Portnoi, Nikola Takov, Lora Tchekoratova, Dobrinka Tabakova, Rumen Cvetkov, Karolina Koyanova, Alexander Somov
Lora Al-Ahmad on the Radio
You can hear Lora Al-Ahmad's new piano quintet Dosta: Bound for the Celestial, and an interview with the composer on Radio KlassikA's Saturday Cafe program on September 21, between 10 аm and noon Bulgarian time. In Bulgaria, you can listen to Radio KlassikA at 88 MHz. You can also listen online at the link HERE.
Beyond the Music
In addition to presenting our musical programs this summer, we organized several culinary experiences. Our partnership with Uva Nestum Wine and Spa continued. It included a special dinner in their restaurant in honor of our festival and an opportunity for our guests to taste the region’s unique wines during the concert intermissions.
On Saturday evening, August 3, we held a special Dinner with a Cause in partnership with Lavanda Restaurant with Rooms, where we offered our supporters a four-course meal with local specialties. Half of the proceeds from the dinner were donated for future initiatives of our foundation. In addition, we organized three meetings for our audience with the composers, which included breakfasts and afternoon snacks by local purveyors. The discussions were led by Dobrinka Tabakova.
Last but not least, this year, we partnered with Harmonica for two cocktail receptions at beautiful local houses where the audience could mingle with the artists. Special thanks to our hosts at the Pachalov, Kalinia, Popiordanov, and Shindarov Art houses for warmly welcoming us.
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Presentations of wine, bread, cheese and meetings with the composers. |
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News from Dar Svetlina
Our work on renovating and upkeeping the Svetlina Cultural Center in Kovachevitsa continued this summer. Thanks to additional support from numerous individuals, we remodeled the terrace parapet and renovated the room leading to the concert hall balcony. We collaborated with the Astry Gallery to mark the occasion and exhibited a special artwork by Bulgarian artist Vassil N. Vassilev dedicated to the Bulgarian Orthodox feast of Transfiguration. In addition, many local artists and artisans presented their work in various homes, galleries, and the local museum, as well as in kiosks and on Kovachevitsa's main street. It is thrilling to see the village as a lovely cultural hub that inspires creativity in many forms.
Guests came from around the world, including New York, London, and many parts of Bulgaria. Deputy Minister of Culture Mr. Victor Stoyanov, Mayor of Gotse Delchev Mr. Vladimir Moskov, Member of Parliament and publisher Manol Peykov, and many artists and intellectuals were in attendance.
To learn more about Dar Svetlina and join our efforts, please visit www.dar-svetlina.com
Lora Tchekoratova with Vladimir Moskov, the mayor of Gotse Delchev and representatives of the municipalities of Gotse Delchev, Garmen and Kovachevitsa
Singing Hearts
In July, our mezzo-soprano Mariana Karpatova, a native of Gotse Delchev, led her popular Singing Hearts music camp for children. The camp’s theme was also inspired by the region’s culinary traditions and culminated with performances for the local community in Gotse Delchev's park and outreach concerts for the elderly and people with special needs. Bravo to our team of young singers who shared their gift of music with an appreciative audience.
Special thanks to the Cultural Center and Municipality of Gotse Delchev for their hospitality and generosity.
Mariana Karpatova with her Singing Hearts
Festival Team Spotlight Borislav Zhuykov, Photographer
We have enjoyed collaborating with the talented photographer Borislav Zhuykov for several years.
See his spectacular work HERE.
Thank you, Bobi!
The Path is Yours (2024) is made possible with funding from the National Culture Fund, Bulgaria, under the program "Creation". Learn more about our Sponsors and Partners HERE.
To join our efforts and make this upcoming journey a reality, please consider donating to our foundation in Bulgaria or, if you are in the United States, make a tax-deductible contribution to our 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, Friends of the Off the Beaten Path Festival.