Зимен бюлетин 2025
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Dear friends of the Off the Beaten Path Festival,
We are ending the year with a lot of hope and positive thoughts for the future of Bulgaria and the world. Most of us – the musicians and organizers of our festival – live and work abroad, but our hearts are with our friends and family at home, especially during the holidays!
Our work is deeply connected with our roots, and our mission is not only то bring music to remote villages and towns in Bulgaria, but to support our friends who live and work in the country – whether it is via the charitable society we established in support of the Svetlina Community Center in Kovachevitsa, or the partnerships with organizations such as Zaedno v chas and Gorata.bg, and many others.
We are able to do this, because throughout the year we work together with our friends and we don’t only see the problems we jointly face, but we actively seek solutions. Thanks to this palpable feeling of mission, we’ve been able to build one of the most cherished festivals in Bulgaria – with chamber music at its heart, and collaboration as its method.
As we approach the end of the year and the festive holiday season, we wish you all much health, and happiness and look forward to seeing you at our next edition in Bulgaria!
With hope,
Lora Tchekoratova and team
Off the Beaten Path
PETER KERKELOV AND KENJI BUNCH IN NEW YORK
On December 10 2025, Off the Beaten Path held its first event in New York. We presented three premieres of new works by Bulgarian composers Dobrinka Tabakova and Peter Kerkelov, as well as by US composer Kenji Bunch, who was our composer in residence in Kovachevitsa in 2025. Also on the program were works by Pancho Vladigerov and Ernst von Dohnanyi.
The event was attended by many dignitaries, including the Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the United Nations, Ambassador Gergana Karadjova, the Consul General of Bulgaria in New York, Mr. Angel Angelov, and members of the board of the America for Bulgaria Foundation.
We were thrilled that the concert was sold out and well received by the New York music community, including by many composers, performers, and distinguished professors from The Juilliard School, the New World Symphony as well as managers.
We hope that this event will lead to many future collaborations and cultural exchanges between our countries.
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Off the Beaten Path Team and Composers Peter Kerkelov and Kendji Bunch at DiMenna Center for Classical Music in New York with special guests Bulgarian Ambassador to the United Nations, Ms. Gergana Karadjova, Consul General of Bulgaria in New York, Mr. Angel Angelov and other musicians and diplomats.
SAVE THE DATES
A Preliminary Look at Our Eighth Edition
July 29, 2026
Dimitar Blagoev 1925 Community Center, Dobrinishte
July 30, 2026
Bishopric of Nevrokop, Gotse Delchev
July 31 - August 2, 2026
Svetlina Community Center, Kovachevitsa
August 6, 2026
Nauka Community Center, Troyan
August 7-8, 2026
Hristo Karpachev Community Center, Indilia House, The Old Mill, Karpachevo
Tickets and full program will be available in March 2026
In 2026, the Off the Beaten Path Chamber Music Festival will continue bringing new music to new venues around Bulgaria, starting at our festival home Kovachevitsa, and expanding our programs to other picturesque locations – Gotse Delchev, Dobrinishte, Karpachevo and, for the first time, Troyan in North-Central Bulgaria.
Following the success of the new works we've commissioned and presented to Bulgarian audiences, our concert programs will continue to focus on creating new works and presenting premieres of international works in Bulgaria. Each premiere will be featured along specially selected masterpieces from the classical chamber repertoire.
This summer, we will commission and premiere new works by composers David Ludwig (USA), Penka Kouneva (Bulgaria / USA) and Peter Kerkelov (Bulgaria). In addition, we will establish a residency program in Kovachevitsa for emerging composers, who will have a chance to work with Mr. Ludwig (Dean and Acting Chair of Composition at The Juilliard School in New York), Ms. Kouneva (renowned Hollywood composer) and Mr. Kerkelov (Associate Professor at the Pancho Vladigerov National Academy of Music in Sofia).
We will continue collaborating with the celebrated Bulgarian-British composer Dobrinka Tabakova by presenting her works in new venues. Our guest artists will include the distinguished musicians Bella Hristova (violin), Hyunah Yu (soprano), Mark Sparks (flute) and Karin Dornbusch (clarinet).
COMMISSIONS 2026
David LudwigcomposerNew chamber work for soprano and piano trio dedicated to the historic rescue of Bulgaria’s Jews in World War II. This composition serves as a meditation on loss, memory, and resilience, honoring members of my family who both fled and were lost during World War II. I believe that in our present moment, it is more important than ever to recognize not only those who perished, but also those who chose to stand against hatred. Individuals such as Dimitar Peshev, who risked everything to save thousands of Bulgarian Jews, deserve to be remembered and celebrated. |
Penka KounevacomposerPiano Quintet As a film composer, I am drawn to tonal and post-tonal compositional techniques that have a strong emotional resonance with listeners of all backgrounds – professionals and non-musicians, old and young alike. My music tells stories and is always based on deeply felt personal experiences. After composing two quartets, two trios, a wind quintet for Pilecadone, pieces for solo piano and cello, and for four-hand piano for Borislava Taneva, and orchestral music with modern arrangements and electronics for over 100 films, games, and TV series, it is with great joy and enthusiasm that I undertake to write a piano quintet for Lora Tchekoratova and Off the Beaten Path – a return to the first and deepest love of my youth – chamber music. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, dear friends. |
Peter KerkelovcomposerNew Multidisciplinary Work for Chamber Ensemble My new work, composed especially for Off the Beaten Path 2026, will be for two violins and five other instruments, with a duration of about 60 minutes. The central source of inspiration for it is the mystery of Rhodope villages at night – the vague outlines, the pitch-black darkness teeming with sounds, the quiet lullabies of former residents quietly embracing the night before falling asleep. My wish is for this upcoming midnight concert to transform the Svetlina Community Center in Kovachevitsa into a sacred space of mountain calm – populated with surreal dreams manifested into music. Moving physically through the concert hall, the two violinists will immerse listeners in sound, saturating space with dialogues between themselves and the chamber ensemble. |
Petko Tanchevmultimedia artistVisuals will be an important part of the performance. Artist Petko Tanchev will enhance the experience with a choreography of laser beams, creating a new light architecture for the community center. This is the second work I've created for the musicians of the Off the Beaten Path festival, the first one premiered in the same hall in Kovachevitsa. I've also previously worked with Petko Tanchev on Тhe Pied Piper and the Cars (2019), my opera-ballet for children, and The Lost Songs of Sisyphus for cello, piano, electronics, and video (2025), a one-hour ballet of forms. Between the musicians, Petko and myself, there is both trust and shared experience, and I expect the outcome to be intriguing, unusual, and modern – born, as it is, from a love for the known and unknown traditions of this Western Rhodopean village. |
SPECIAL GUESTS 2026
Bella HristovaviolinBulgarian-American violinist Bella Hristova has won international acclaim for her “expressive nuance and rich tone” (New York Times) and “impressive power and control” (Washington Post). She has distinguished herself on the world stage as an artist with a remarkably diverse repertoire and a bold approach to programming. A recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, she has won numerous awards, including First Prize in the Michael Hill International Violin Competition, First Prize in the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and she is a Laureate of the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. |
Hyunah YusopranoAn American citizen born in South Korea, soprano Hyunah Yu received the prestigious Artist Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. A prize winner in the 1999 Naumburg International Competition and a finalist in the 1998 Dutch International Vocal Competition and the 1999 Concert Artist Guild International Competition in New York, Hyunah Yu began collaborating annually with Swiss-American conductor Blanche Moyse in performing all the major Bach oratorios in Vermont and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She appears regularly at the Marlboro Music Festival. |
Karin DornbuschclarinetKarin Dornbusch has resided in Basel, Switzerland, since 1995, but grew up in a family of musicians in Stockholm. She has a strong connection to both Gothenburg and the Swedish West Coast. Her father was born and raised in Gothenburg, and after diligent genealogical research, she has discovered that her paternal grandmother’s family has lived on the islands of Orust and Tjörn for several centuries. After studying at the Hochschule der Künste Berlin and the Musikakademie der Stadt Basel, she became an internationally sought-after clarinet soloist and chamber musician. In 1996, she won the Swedish Soloist Prize and the First Prize from the Basler Orchester Gesellschaft. In 1997, she was selected by concert halls in Vienna, Birmingham, Stockholm, and Athens as a soloist in the Rising Stars concert series. She has performed as a soloist at the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm. |
Mark SparksfluteMark Sparks is an American solo flutist, orchestral artist, teacher, and writer. He is the former Principal Flutist of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. During his tenure (2000-2021) he served under music directors Hans Vonk, David Robertson, and Stéphane Denève, and was a featured soloist with the orchestra numerous times. He has toured and performed with many orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, Norway’s Bergen Philharmonic, and the San Fancisco Symphony. Prior to his appointment in St. Louis, Sparks served as Associate Principal Flutist of the Baltimore Symphony, and began his professional career with Venezuela’s Caracas Philharmonic. |
IN THE WORKS
RESIDENCY FOR YOUNG BULGARIAN COMPOSERS
The Eighth Edition of the Festival will offer an opportunity for five young composition students from Bulgaria to spend a week in Kovachevitsa in the company of the Festival’s musicians and guest composers, and to participate in discussions, workshops, and master classes, while attending the festival concerts and events. Participants will have a chance of getting to know our artists closely and developing ideas for future collaborations.
SINGING HEARTS VOCAL CAMP
In the summer of 2026, we will be organizing again the Singing Hearts Music Camp for children, led by Mariana Karpatova, in the town of Gotse Delchev. The program will include concerts at the Gotse Delchev Park, the town's retirement home, and other community outreach opportunities.
VIDEOS AND INTERVIEWS FROM OUR 2024 AND 2025 EDITIONS
This winter and spring we will release more videos from Kovachevitsa 2024 and 2025.
MIDNIGHT CONCERTS IN KOVACHEVITSA AND KARPACHEVO
We are planning two transformative events in Kovachevitsa and Karpachevo where we will invite you on a night journey with new music.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT
In November our foundation in Bulgaria was approved for a new grant from the National Culture Fund of Bulgaria, for the creation and dissemination of new works. We are thankful for the support and look forward to working on the new works!
At the same time, the current political uncertainty in Bulgaria is making it very difficult for us to plan and deliver our programming.
ЗIn order for us to achieve all that we have in the works, we need your help!
Please join us with a year-end donation!
DONATE ONLINE – https://donorbox.org/new-paths-837204
DONATE VIA BANK TRANSFER
IBAN: BG72BPBI81701075052101
SWIFT/BIC: BPBIBGSF
DONATE to our US (501) (c) 3 organization
To contribute, please send a check made out to Friends of the Off the Beaten Path Festival and mail it to Friends of the Off the Beaten Path, 484 West 43 Street, apt. 5S, New York, NY 10036.
JOIN OUR SPONSORS AND PARTNERS IN 2026
