Les Mystere des Voix Bulgares

About Les Mystere des Voix Bulgares

Les Mystere des Voix Bulgares, also known as The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices or the Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir, is an internationally acclaimed all-female ensemble founded in 1952 in Sofia, Bulgaria, renowned for its distinctive Bulgarian folk music characterized by a unique a cappella singing style. Their sound features open-throat singing, quarter tones, dense harmonic clusters, dissonant harmonies, and asymmetrical rhythms, creating a haunting and otherworldly vocal tapestry. The choir gained global recognition in the 1970s and 1980s through releases produced by Marcel Cellier and later reissues by 4AD, earning a Grammy Award in 1990 for their second volume. They have performed over 1,250 concerts worldwide under the direction of Professor Dora Hristova and have influenced numerous artists, including collaborations with Kate Bush (via the subgroup Trio Bulgarka) and Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance on the 2018 album "BooCheeMish". In their latest endeavors, the choir is presenting a new concert program titled "Voices and Strings" in collaboration with composer and conductor Georgi Andreev and the Quarto Quartet, featuring new compositions and re-arranged repertoire for choir and string quartet. They are scheduled to perform this program at the Llais festival in Cardiff in October 2024 and have a concert planned for April 26, 2026, at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels.