Sofia Micu (23 September 1941, Toporăuți,

Cernăuți County Cernăuți County was a county ( județ) of Romania, in Bukovina, with the capital city at Cernăuți. The area was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1940 (after the Soviet occupation of Northern Bukovina) and again in 1944 (after the Soviet ...

, today in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

), known by her stage name Sofia Vicoveanca (), is a

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language *** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language ** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...

singer of

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fu ...

from the historical region of

Bucovina Bukovinagerman: Bukowina or ; hu, Bukovina; pl, Bukowina; ro, Bucovina; uk, Буковина, ; see also other languages. is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe (or both).Klaus Peter Berge ...

Musical career

Sofia Vicoveanca was born Sofia Fusa on 23 September 1941 in the commune of Toporăuți (today ''Toporivtsi''), near

Cernăuți Chernivtsi ( uk, Чернівці́}, ; ro, Cernăuți, ; see also other names) is a city in the historical region of Bukovina, which is now divided along the borders of Romania and Ukraine, including this city, which is situated on the up ...

(today ''Chernivtsi'' in Ukraine). She was one of the four children of the merchant Gheorghe Fusa and his wife Veronica. Her childhood was marked by difficulty, her father being taken prisoner by the Soviets after the annexation of northern Bucovina by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. She escaped with her mother to the commune of

Vicovu de Jos Vicovu de Jos (german: Unter Wikow) is a commune located in Suceava County, Bukovina, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Vicovu de Jos. Notable residents * Cristinel Gafița Cristinel Gafiţa (born 14 June 1987) is a Romanian forme ...

in the Suceava district; out of love for the village, she later changed her stage name to ''Sofia Vicoveanca''. Constrained by the poverty of living as a refugee, the young Sofia learned the traditional crafts of Bucovina. She graduated from the Şcoala Populară de Artă in Suceava before winning, in 1959, a competition to join the same city's "Ciprian Porumbescu" Ensemble of Song and Dance. In 1965, she released her first album. Since 1998, she has performed as a soloist with Moldavia's foremost folk music orchestra, the Ensemble "Rapsozii Botoşanilor" in Botoşani. The repertoire of Sofia Vicoveanca includes lullabies, wedding songs, ''doinas'' of love and longing, Christmas songs, laments, and ballads, but most of all songs of joy, some of them lightly admonishing or full of the humor of Romanian villages. In the course of her career, she has released ten solo albums and six collaborations, available on audio cassette, video, and CD. She has given performances around Romania and abroad, touring Israel, Portugal, the USA, France, Denmark, Germany, and former Yugoslavia.

Prizes and awards

In recognition of her nearly fifty years of service to Romanian folk music, Sofia Vicoveanca has been honored with many distinctions, among them: "Cultural Merit," fourth class (1973); the "Tudor Vladimirescu" medal, first class (1975); "Cultural Merit," first class (1976); National Cross of "Faithful Service," third class (2002); and Grand Officer of the Order of "Cultural Merit" (2004). She has been awarded the Honorary Citizen award in Suceava, Rădăuţi, Siret, Pojorâta, Ciocăneşti and Vicov (all in Suceava district), as well as in the commune of Ion Creangă in the Neamţ district and in Ciocârlău, Maramureş.

Personal life

Sofia Vicoveanca was married to Suceava-based journalist Victor Micu, who died in April 2001 at the age of 70. He had worked for forty years at the newspaper "Zori noi" in Suceava. Together, Sofia and Victor had one son.

Beyond music

Sofia Vicoveanca has played roles in several Romanian films, demonstrating unexpected dramatic talent, and has published two volumes of poetry: ''Dureri ascunse'' (1996) and ''Cu inima-n palme'' (2004).

References

1941 births Living people People from Chernivtsi Oblast Romanian women singers Soviet emigrants to Romania {{Romania-singer-stub