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...Lyuben Dossev,
currently Dean at the Music Academy in Plovdiv is my father.
Lyuben Dossev was born in 1953 in the town of Pleven as the
second child of my grandparents, Nadka and Tsvetan Dossev.
Nadka was an ambitious hard-worker and encouraged her son
to follow the footsteps of his father who was a respected
kaval player at the Northern Ensemble for music and folklore.
Thus my dad grew up playing the kaval and at the age of 13
was already teaching younger kids to play at kids' music camps.
After that Lyuben was accepted into the Music High School
in Pleven where he was rigorously taught music theory and
kaval. There he was surrounded by today's most prominent folk
musicians. He won multiple awards as a young performer from
different music competitions in Bulgaria and Europe. His future
looked very promising and my father decided to move to Plovdiv
- the second largest city in Bulgaria.
At this time, the need was great for a folklore music school
and my father was one of the founders of the Shiroka Luka
Music Highschool. The Shiroka Luka school is one of only two
schools (the other being Kotel) for folk music and singing
that prepare young students to study at the Acedemy in Plovdiv.
He graduated from the Music High School there and was then
accepted at the Plovdiv Academy for Music and Dance Art but
decided to fulfill his army duty first.
After serving for two years as a soldier my father went back
to the Plovdiv Academy to receive his professional musical
degree. He was one of the best students in his class and in
1977, immediately after his graduation (a year ahead of schedule),
was offered a ful-time position at the Academy, which he accepted.
At the same time, he worked at the well-known Trakia Folkore
Ensemble in Plovdiv as a soloist kaval player and band director.
Lyuben left the ensemble later but in 2003 was offered the
position of Musical Director of the orchestra, which he is
still holding today.
Starting as a teaching assistant at the Academy my father's
professionalism and talent helped him work his way up the
ladder. Soon he was offered a professor's position, then he
became serior professor, then Secretary to the Departmant
Chair.
In late 2003 Lyuben Dossev was elected the Dean of the Department
of Music Folklore, Choreography and Arts, at the Plovdiv
Academy og Music and Dance Art.
For his musicianship and talent as a performer, Lyuben Dossev
has been awarded more than once. In 1968, at only 15, Lyuben
Dossev won the gold medal at the World Youth Music Festival
in Sofia. In 1975 and 1977 he won Second Place at the prestigeous
Festival for Young Performers in Chirpan, taking place annually
in this period. In 1996 Lyuben Dossev achieved a Doctorate
in Musicology and Music and in 1999 he became a docent (associate
professor) for his work at the Academy.
In the mid 1990s Lyuben Dossev published a major work called
"Mastering Thracian Kaval Ornamentation: a Handbook".
This work was the first ever published material on how to
play a Bulgarian traditional instrument. My father's book
became the inpiration for several of his colleagues at the
Academy who, following his mentorship are currently working
on similar books about gadulka, gaida and tambura. The book
is currently being prepared to be published in English.
In his practice Lyuben Dossev has mastered and enriched
the kaval playing style of South Thrace. He has invented
many new techniques of playing and has given explanation
to problems and issues in this style that no one was able
to do before.
Throughtout his long years at the Academy Lyuben Dossev has
discovered and mentored hundreds of young people who went
on to become the best kaval players today. His practice as
a teacher took him to Europe, overseas to the US where he
toured and spread the beauty of the Bulgarian kaval paying
and Japan.
My mother, Tanya Dosseva, is one of the best known singers
in Bulgaria.
Tanya Dosseva was born in 1954 in the town of Sinapovo as
the second child of my grandparents, Boika and Ilia Grigorov.
Ilia was a very respected man around town and was elected
the mayor - a position he had for over 10 years. Boika was
a beautiful woman but also a fine singer. Since young age
little Tanya was very much like her mother and was always
picked to play the leading part in kindergarten plays and
musicals. At only 5, Tanya was already performing folk songs
she learned from her mother at town festivals and gatherings.
She astonished her audiences with her beautiful voice and
talent for performing. Old grandmas were often moved to
tears watching Tanya perform long sad songs about young
women being taken into slavery ("Turchin Robini Karashe")
and old fathers being sold for coins.
At 7, Tanya was awarded the gold medal at the "Sv.
Troitsa Folklore Competition" in Yambol. Although she
did not choose to participate in many competitions she has
since then been recognized one of the best voices of Bulgaria.
In the early 1960s the Grigorovs moved to the second-largest
city in Bulgaria - Plovdiv, which offered more opportunities
for Tanya. She already knew she wanted to become a professional
pop singer but did not know how and who to turn to.
In the early 70s, Tanya heard about the newly-founded Academy
for Music and Dance Art in Plovdiv and went to meet with
the director - Prof. Assen Diamandiev. He asked her to sing
a folk song for him because he was recruiting young talents
for the Folklore Department. Tanya had not thought about
folk singing seriously but she knew tens of songs from her
mother and she started singing "Zlato Mome". Prof.
Diamandiev was blown away by this girl's voice and asked
her to stop as the "windows would shatter". The
audition was a success and Tanya spent the next four years
studying Folk singing and music under the best teachers
one could get.
Tanya accepted another challenge in 1976 when she was invited
to sing for the Trakya Folklore Ensemble choir in Plovdiv
as a soloist. She worked there for two years.
After graduation, in 1978, Tanya was immediately offered
a position at the professional Women's Choir of the Academy.
She accepted the position and worked there as the leading
soloist for 11 years. With the Choir she toured Germany,
Austria, Poland, Hungary, Syria, Switzerland, Romania, Russia,
Ireland, the Czech Republic, etc.
Since the late 1980s Tanya Dosseva has been working with
the first "Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices" choir
now called "Voices of Bulgaria" with Zdravko Mihailov
as a director. There she was performing alongside Bulgaria's
most prominent folk singers - Lilyana Galevska, Nadezhda
Hvoineva, Nadka Karadzhova, Hristina Lyutova, etc. The choir
toured all over Europe - France, Switzerland, Malta, Italy,
Portugal, Spain, etc.
In 1990 Tanya Dosseva was invited as a guest-soloist for
the Konushenski Orchestra, undoubtedly one of the most famous
wedding bands in Bulgaria. The leader of the band, Nikola
Iliev, was completely taken by my mother's stage presence
and powerful voice and offered her to join the group permanently.
She accepted and has been working with the band eversince.
On April 15, 2004 the Konushenski Orchestra celebrated its
40th anniversary. It is now officially the oldest active
wedding band in Bulgaria.
Throughout the years Tanya has recorded numerous albums
both with traditional and wedding band arrangements: "Pesnite
na Moia Narod" ("The Songs of My People"),
"An Endless Journey", "Singing Heart",
etc. The purpose is always one - to spread the beauty of
the Bulgarian folk song around the world.
At the Plovdiv Academy Lyuben and Tanya took classes together
and decided to start a family in 1977 when my father proposed
to my mother. Being so talented and such excellent students
my parents became everyone's favorites. They married on
April 9, 1978 and had me, Tzvetelina later in October. When
I was a baby they were both teachers at the Shiroka Luka
Highschool. Later, they recorded albums together, they appeared
in most viewed music broadcasts of the National Television
channel: "Apolonia", "Maldi Izpulniteli",
"Nasred Selo Tupan Bie", "Trite Puti",
"Pletenitsa", "Koito Go Mozhe, Go Mozhe",
and many others. They have performed at the most prestigeous
stages in Bulgaria as well as around the world. Naturally,
I am humbled by their talent and very proud to be their
only daughter.
Contact: tzweiner@comcast.net
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