Valya Balkanska
Valya Balkanska | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Feyme Kestebekova |
Born | Arda, Kingdom of Bulgaria | 8 January 1942
Genres | Folk |
Occupation(s) | Solo singer |
Years active | 1960–present |
Valya Mladenova Balkanska (Bulgarian: Валя Младенова Балканска; born 8 January 1942) is a Bulgarian folk music singer from the Rhodope Mountains known locally for her wide repertoire of Balkan folk songs, but in the West mainly for singing the song "Izlel ye Delyo Haydutin", part of the Voyager Golden Record selection of music included in the two Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977.
Early life
Born as Feyme Kestebekova (
Career
Balkanska performs a repertoire of over 300 songs in Bulgaria and abroad. Balkanska has been working with the Rodopa State Ensemble for Folk Songs and Dances from Smolyan, of which she is a soloist, since 1960. Her album Glas ot vechnostta (Voice from the Eternity), released in 2004, is a compilation of her best-known songs, including "A bre yunache ludo i mlado", "Goro le goro zelena", and "Maychinko stara maychinko".
"Izlel ye Delyo Haydutin" and Voyager
Balkanska is most famous in the West for "
Accolades
In 2002, Balkanska was awarded the Stara Planina Orden (the highest Bulgarian award).[4] She was honoured with her own star plate on the Bulgarian Walk of Fame in Sofia in December 2005.[5]
References
- ^ "Voyager - Music on the Golden Record". voyager.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ "Late Junction: The songs they sent to space". www.bbc.co.uk. BBC Radio 3. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-307-80202-6.
- ^ "Информационна Агенция 'Фокус'", Focus-News.net. (in Bulgarian)
- ^ "ВАЛЯ БАЛКАНСКА", FamousGrouse.bg. (in Bulgarian)
External links
- "Valia Balkanska - Izlel e Delio Haidutin", YouTube.com.
- "Biography of Valya Balkanska", Avtora.com. (in Bulgarian)
- Village Music of Bulgaria, CD published in the Nonesuch Explorer series; Elektra Nonesuch 9 79195-2.