“There, I was weaned on folklore; the same is true of my work at the Izvorche (Fount)children’s folklore ensemble where I worked since its foundation in 1961,” Mihail Yordanov says. “Out of two professional careers in my life I chose the one closest to my heart that has made me very happy. I remember the first time I met prominent performers - I was still at junior high school. Folk music is so intense that it invariably captivates listeners and holds them in its grip. The Philip Koutev ensemble was set up by people in whose hearts the magic of folklore was alive.”

Regrettably, Mihail Yordanov did not live to see his 90^th birthday – the musician passed away this summer, leaving hundreds of adaptations of folk songs, instrumental and ensemble pieces and dance music to the coming generations. It is not widely known that he was actually an architect by education. While working on his thesis he was actually playing at different taverns and restaurants. The experience he accumulated as a member of the Sofia Mandoline Quartet, at the time part of Radio Sofia, proved very useful to him. So, one day the young student received an offer – to enter a competition, organized by the Folk Song and Dance Ensemble and his success proved to be the start of his career. Together with other ensemble members, at Philip Koutev’s insistence, Mihail Yordanov started teaching at the first children’s folklore ensemble Izvorche. In an interview from the BNR Golden Fund audio archives, the musician goes back to Philip Koutev’s words at the outset:

“He said: “This is something that simply must be handed over to children, otherwise it will perish. That is where the future lies.” How shrewdly he looked into the future of folklore! I am so grateful to him for the trust he placed in me. I myself have learnt a great deal at the ensemble. The different kinds of activities I combine there have helped me a lot. I would teach the children, but would learn from them too. There is a difference between musicians who do just one kind of work and musicians who work in different spheres – practice at ensembles broadens one’s musical scope. At Izvorche we had new members each year. There children would learn to sing, but also to dance and play musical instruments. It is when we work together, when all performers pool their efforts that the magic comes to pass. But it wasn’t folklore every time – we have had visits by performers of the classical genre which just goes to show that music is infinite, art must be respected in all of its dimensions.”