Angel Bukoreschliev Plovdiv Singing Society invites all its former and current choristers, friends and supporters to its charity concert, which will take place on 9 December 2022 at 18:30 in the Boris Hristov House of Culture. Admission is free. Donation boxes will be placed in the auditorium for audience donations. 

Here is what Boris Mirchev - Chairman of the PPD "Angel Bukoreschliev" says about the concert:

"When on March 4, 1896 a group of young enthusiasts put their signatures to the document establishing the Society, they hardly imagined that they were participants in a historic work! But the truth is that these people, among whom it is worth mentioning the names of the eminent Slovenian philologist and founder of the stenographic school in Bulgaria, Anton Bezenshek, as well as the first and long-standing conductor of the choir, Angel Bukoreschliev, marked the beginning of an epochal undertaking, a tradition. Tradition is a good thing. This concept contains within it the presumption of security, stability and predictability, especially in uncertain times. Tradition, in the context of understanding cultural and historical heritage, is the guardian of civilizational memory, of a sense of ancestral, communal integrity and cohesion in the name of some general idea or cause. Tradition largely determines the present and plays a key role in shaping the vision of the future!  As an essential part that has shaped the cultural and historical image and traditions of Plovdiv over the last 125 years, the Society is a cultural phenomenon whose development is located along the time vector of three centuries. The ideology of the newly-formed choir is clearly expressed in Article 1 of its statutes, which reads, "The Singing Society is established to develop and disseminate Bulgarian and Slavic singing and art music in general"... I dare say that during the first 50 years of its existence, the Plovdiv Singing Society "Angel Bukoreschliev" was hardly the only and key musical institution in shaping the cultural image of the city of Plovdiv. With their activity, personalities such as Panayot Georgiev, Petar Karadzhiev, Anton Tsarigradsky, Hristo Manolov, Ivan Kochetov, Kosta Nikolov, Nikola Kenoff, Boris Kochov, Svetoslav Obretenov, Chudomir Delchev contributed to this. An important moment in the life of the Society was its acquisition of its own building in 1928, built with the financial efforts of the choristers themselves, which naturally facilitated and accelerated the rehearsal process. A new stage of the increase of professionalism and, accordingly, of the artistic and creative performances of the Society occurred after 1950. Assen Diamandiev - founder and first rector of the then Higher Music Pedagogical Institute ( today Academy of Music Dance and Fine Arts "Prof. Assen Diamandiev), Mesru Mehmedov, Krikor Chetianyan, Nikola Lipov, Dimitar Grigorov, Aleko Antonov and others. Under the guidance of Assoc. Krikor Chetianyan, for example, the Society won the Golden Dragon Grand Prize at the first International Choral Festival in Langollen - Wales in 1974! A memorable moment was also the participation in the realization of the cantata "Joan of Arc at the stake" by Arthur Honegger in 1984 together with the Plovdiv Philharmonic under the baton of Dobrin Petkov. Over the years the singing society has established itself as a choral collective with a rich repertoire including works by distinguished Bulgarian and foreign authors. In fact, the participation of the society in television formats such as "Game of Choirs" (2016), as well as the realization of its project "The Song of the Tepetas" ( since 2019 ) in the city of Plovdiv show that the choir is not a slave to "rigid" dogmas, but is willing to adapt to the cultural challenges of the new times. The socio-economic changes that have taken place in Bulgaria over the last 30 years have confronted organisations such as the Angel Bukoreschliev PPD with many challenges, including a struggle for "physical" survival! The beneficial cooperation with the Plovdiv Municipality over the past ten years has enabled the Society to take those "breaths of air" that will allow it to keep its "head above water"! Alas, today, more than ever, PPD "A. Bukoreschliev" is in dire need of financial assistance to ensure the repair and renovation of the company's facilities. This would support the choir's rehearsal activities and is a pledge for future artistic and creative success. The doors of the Angel Bukoreschliev PPD are wide open to all who would like to share the choir's motto that "Song unites, cheers and comforts".

We look forward to seeing you on December 9th at our benefit concert!  We will be together - former and current choir members, friends and supporters in the name of good music and a Plovdiv emblem with 126 years of history!"