Daily Schedule: Children gather at 10 am at the Cultural Center in Gotse Delchev, beginning their day with a healthy snack. A rehearsal starts afterwards, ending at 1 pm.
Repertoire: The program includes a selection of age-appropriate children's songs aligned with the themes of the Off the Beaten Path Chamber Music Festival in Kovachevitsa: nature, community, healthy eating, local organic produce, and the culinary traditions of the region. Rehearsals are often combined with discussions on the themes addressed in the songs.
Past summer camp repertoire has included contemporary children's favorites such as Vassil Deliev's Sing with Us, Slavenka Russinova's Planet Earth, and Haigashod Agassyan's Magic Words, Lending Someone a Hand, Planet of Dreams, Prayer, Two Flying Kebapches, Kalin Popov’s Eco Rap, and Svetoslav Loboshki’s Kindness. It also featured older classics familiar to parents, such as Villy Kazassyan's My Childhood, Kiril Tsibulka's One Small Potato, Mihail Kochev and Tsanko Tserkovski’s Should You Not Eat Vegetables, Lyuben Karavelov’s Oh, My Beautiful Forest, and Emil Dimitrov’s If You’ve Given.
Friendships: Participants form new friendships with children from diverse backgrounds and various villages from the region.
Special Guests: Тhe camp welcomes special guests on a daily basis. Former guests have included Yoan Kozelov, a young farmer who spoke about the challenges of caring for cows on his family farm and explained how cheese is made, and gym instructor Kroum Timchev who offered valuable advice on healthy eating.
Creative Assignments: Kids are encouraged to explore creativity beyond singing. One creative assignment involved making musical instruments from recycled materials for the final concert. Children used jars or plastic bottles filled with beans, rice, coins, or bolts to create unique rattles. They enjoyed comparing the different sounds, which culminated in a percussive symphony.
A highlight of the week is when children share their family’s favorite holiday dishes and culinary traditions, illustrating how food, laughter, and music bring people together.
Public Performances: The week-long camp concludes with a concert in Gotse Delchev’s picturesque park, an event now eagerly anticipated by the local community. The young singers perform with passion, sharing their favorite moments from the camp. As part of a cherished tradition, the Singing Hearts also perform for residents of the city’s homes for the elderly and disabled. Many residents, unable to leave their rooms, are touched by the children’s heartfelt songs. After the performance, children give residents handmade cards, spreading joy and connection across generations.
