Public lectures by Desislava Dobreva and Desislava Hristova in Ireland

Desislava Dobreva and Desislava Hristova – doctoral students at the Music and Performing Arts Research Group at the Institute of Art Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, with the kind assistance of HE Vanya Andreeva-Malakova, Ambassador of Bulgaria to Ireland, gave three public bilingual interactive lectures on 9 and 10 November 2024 at the Bulgarian Sunday schools Azbuka and Rayna Knyaginya in Dublin and the Vasil Levski School in Shannon, Ireland.
In the lectures, the children were introduced to the role that Bulgarian folklore plays in modern music genres. Desislava Dobreva and Desislava Hristova performed live solos and duets of musicals by the Bulgarian composers Emelina Gorcheva, Lyubomir Denev and Rumen Boyadzhiev-son, accompanied by piano and original arrangements by the famous Bulgarian conductor Hristo Hristov.
At the end of each event, the children participated in a workshop to stage a musical based on the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood” with Bulgarian folk songs based on an adaptation by Hristo Hristov. A special guest at one of the events was former Foreign Minister Ivaylo Kalfin. The lectures enjoyed great interest from students, teachers, and parents.
The letter of appreciation by the Bulgarian Ambassador to Ireland HE Vanya Andreeva-Malakova regarding the participation of Ms. Desislava Dobreva and Ms. Desislava Hristova in cultural events targeting the students in Bulgarian Sunday schools in Ireland can be found here.