The Bulgarian Children's Chorus and School Gergana ( bg, Български детски хор и училище "Гергана", ) is the oldest

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

children's

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

and Bulgarian school in New York City.

History

The chorus was founded in 2004 by

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

singer-songwriter Gergana Velinova helped by opera

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

Stefka Evstatieva, and with the assistance of pianist and piano teacher Pavlina Dokovska and the

Consulate General A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

in New York. The school was founded in early 2005 by educator Neli Hadjiyska with the initial purpose of helping the chorus children read and understand Bulgarian

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

. Since 2009, ''Gergana'' participates in Bulgarian Ministry of Education

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

and

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

programs for Bulgarians abroad. Since 2012, the school has been licensed by the Bulgarian government to issue official certificates of completed courses of study of Bulgarian language,

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

and

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

. ''Gergana'' coöperates with the Bulgarian State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, is a member of the

non-governmental A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

Association of Bulgarian Schools Abroad, and works with the concert cycle Bulgarian Concert Evenings in New York and other ethnic cultural and educational organizations. In 2010, ''Gergana'' was incorporated as a nonprofit in the

State of New York New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. state ...

, and in 2012, it passed guidelines according to which its "mission is to provide free education to students from preschool to 18 years of age in the Bulgarian language,

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

and culture through choral and solo singing, acting, Bulgarian language,

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

and history classes, publishing of free study materials, as well as other educational modalities.

School

''Gergana'' teaches Bulgarian community children from the

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...

. As of October 15, 2013, all students but one were American-born; some are from inter-ethnic families where little or no Bulgarian is spoken at home. For the 2013–14 school year, the school offers a

preschool A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...

group for children under 5; two preparatory groups for children with limited or no Bulgarian; a

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

class, classes from first to eighth, a drama studio, and a dance studio. Teaching in Bulgarian is conducted according to Bulgarian government standards, using authorized textbooks and study materials. As of November 10, 2013, a total of 69 children aged 3 to 14 have been enrolled in the school; 37 of them participate in the chorus. The ''Gergana'' faculty includes nine teachers. Classes are held on Sundays from 10 am to 2.30 pm and from mid-September to mid-June. Teaching is conducted in small classes with individual attention to each child.

Chorus

The ''Gergana'' children's chorus with director Krassi Ivanchev, vocal coach Stefka Evstatieva and pianist Magdalena Dushkina has performed (as of June 16, 2013) a total of 66 concerts, including some at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

Symphony Space Symphony Space, founded by Isaiah Sheffer and Allan Miller, is a multi-disciplinary performing arts organization at 2537 Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Performances take place in the 760-seat Peter Jay Sharp Theatre (also called Pe ...

, and the United Nations headquarters. The chorus participates in Bulgarian celebrations in New York and holds a traditional Christmas concert at the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Bulgarian Cathedral. Chorus concerts have also included special guests such as Bulgarian composer Haigashod Agassian and Bulgarian painter and experimental artist

Houben R.T. Houben Tcherkelov, (Bulgarian: Хубен Черкелов; known as Houben R.T.; American, born in Bulgaria on January 23, 1970) is a painter and experimental artist who lives and works in New York. In his early photographs, film, and installati ...

There have been joint concerts with other ethnic schools, such as one with the Czech and Slovak School, Astoria, New York, on June 1, 2013, at the

Bohemian National Hall The Bohemian National Hall ( cz, Česká národní budova) is a five-story edifice at 321 East 73rd Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Constructed between 1895 and 1897 in neo-Renaissance style by architect William C. ...

in New York. The chorus repertory includes Bulgarian and American choral classics, composer-arranged Bulgarian traditional folklore, and contemporary world music, including in-house music arrangements and original lyrics. ''Gergana'' choristers have successfully applied to leading New York arts schools such as LaGuardia Arts et al. In early 2013, "The ''Gergana'' Community Men's Chorus" was formed by parents, teachers and friends of the school children. Its purpose is also to serve as a Bulgarian language course for English-speaking parents, other family and friends and engage them with ''Gergana'' activities.

Drama studio

Launched in 2006 by actress and

NATFA The Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (commonly referred to as NATFIZ) is a performing, cinematic and media arts institution of higher education based in Sofia. It is the first Bulgarian university in the field of theatr ...

professor Madlen Cholakova, since the fall of 2012, it has been directed by actress and singer Gina DiDonato. In 2012, it staged a dramatization of ''Foxy's Adventures'' ("Приключенията на Лиско") by Boris Aprilov, and in 2013, it is staging an adaptation of the musical

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...

for children's chorus, translated into Bulgarian. Currently, a documentary film is being made on ''Gerganas work on the latter, to be shown in late 2013 on

Bulgarian National Television The Bulgarian National Television ( Bulgarian: Българска национална телевизия, ''Balgarska natsionalna televizia'') or BNT (БНТ), stylized as ·Б·Н·Т· since 2018, is a public television broadcaster of Bulgaria ...

and Bulgarian-language BG7 TV in Chicago. Drama productions are intended to develop children's public speaking skills.

Dance studio

The studio started in September 2013 with Bulgarian folk dances. A

rhythmic gymnastics Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and coord ...

class for girls was launched in October 2013 by former Bulgarian national team member, World Cup winner, and New York-based coach Boryana Yordanova, accompanied by a gym class for boys. The studio is also planning to offer

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as pointe work, turnout of the legs, and high extensions), its ...

and

ballroom dances Ballroom dance is a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television ...

classes.

Publishing

''The 'Gergana' Songbook'' (Bulgarian: "Песнопойка "Гергана") (2013), compiled by ''Gergana'' teachers and published by the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, contains 39 selected Bulgarian songs from the children's chorus repertory from 2004 to 2011, with sheet music and English translations by Valentin Hadjiyski. The songbook will be distributed free of charge by the Agency to Bulgarian schools abroad. The English translations are intended to help children understand Bulgarian lyrics and to involve English-speaking parents, family and friends, as well as to popularize Bulgarian songs and poetry for the broader American audience.

In the media

''Gergana'' has been featured in publications by Bulgarian-language newspapers ''Az Buki'' (''Аз Буки''), ''Bulgaria 21'', ''Bulgaria Sega'' (''България Сега''), web sites dir.bg, eurochicago.com, ide.li, Мediapool.bg, official web sites of the Bulgarian Agency for Bulgarians Abroad and the Union of Bulgarian Journalists, in Bulgarian National Television news stories, in the Skat Television's ''My Little White Cloud'' (''Облаче ле бяло'') show, by the

Bulgarian National Radio Bulgarian National Radio ( bg, Българско национално радио, ''Bulgarsko natsionalno radio''; abbreviated to БНР, BNR) is Bulgaria's national radio broadcasting organisation. It operates two national and nine regional cha ...

, Internet Radio Tatkovina (Интернет радио "Татковина"), and more.

Awards

School principal Neli Hadjiyska has received the annual

Neofit Rilski Neofit Rilski ( bg, Неофит Рилски) or Neophyte of Rila (Bansko, 1793 – January 4, 1881), born Nikola Poppetrov Benin ( bg, Никола Поппетров Бенин) was a 19th-century Bulgarian monk, teacher and artist, and an impor ...

Honorary Award for 2013 from the Bulgarian Minister of Education for her lifetime professional contribution to Bulgarian education and the Federation of Balkan-American Associations Award for the advancement of women for 2012. ''Gergana'' has also received certificates of appreciation from the Turkish Women's League of America in 2012 and 2013 and from the

Cyril and Methodius Cyril (born Constantine, 826–869) and Methodius (815–885) were two brothers and Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs". They are credited wit ...

International Foundation and the Petko Gruev Staynov foundation in 2010. ''Gergana'' students have won essay-writing awards from the national Stefan Gechev Children's and Youth Literary Competition held annually by the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad.

Accommodation

From its inception through the end of 2012, ''Gergana'' was housed at the Consulate General of Bulgaria building in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

at 121 East 62nd Street. In January 2013, it moved to the Robert F. Wagner Middle School (MS 167) building on Manhattan's

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the wes ...

, where it uses the auditorium and several classrooms on the first floor.

References

External links

* , the organization's official website {{authority control 2004 establishments in New York City 2005 establishments in New York City Bulgarian-American history Bulgarian music Choirs in New York City Educational institutions established in 2005 Musical groups established in 2004 Musical groups from New York City Schools in Manhattan Upper East Side Youth choirs Choirs of children