"It would not suffice to say that I love the songs of Standzha Mountain! They are sealed deep in my heart, I carry them with love and admiration, I will stay true to them until my last breath”, says notable Bulgarian folk singer Zlatka Stavreva, who celebrates her 70^th birthday this December 7^th.

A folk singer, pedagogue and organizer of folklore events, she tirelessly follows the chosen path, dotted with concerts at home and abroad, audio and video recordings, participation in radio and television programmess and international forums. Some of her already grown-up students are today famous singers in their own right, and the folklore formations founded by Zlatka Stavreva are an important part of the cultural life of the coastal municipalities of Tsarevo and Primorsko, as well as the municipality of Sredets.

“I was born in the heart of the Standzha Mountain”, the singer explains. “My native village of Kosti still keeps alive the ancient ritual of the fire-dancing nestinari. Bulgaria’s oldest nature reserve Silkosiya is located nearby. My roots are from the Eastern Thrace region, the village of Malak Samokov. My parents raised me with lots of love and taught me many virtues such as honesty, industriousness, respect and gratefulness. I was brought up being surrounded by the beautiful music of the Standzha Mountain. I can still remember the first concert I ever attended – it was the great Magda Pushakova, the miracle-maker of Standzha, who was singing. I was listening to her with bated breath. When I was only 15 years old, I went to Burgas to continue my education. And it was there that my artistic path started in the “Thracian Song” band. I have been part of several folklore groups in the city, and I have performed in concerts as both soloist and group member. In 1992, I and my sister Irina started singing as a duo. We received the support of Georgi Pavlov who called us the “white sparrows of Standzha”. Magda Pushkarova called us her spiritual daughters and successors in the performing art and in 2000 she bequeathed to us texts and melodies of some of her songs”. 

Zlatka Stavreva continues her concert activity also after her return to the Standzha region at the end of the 1990s, but she dedicates most of her time and effort to working with folk groups. For 16 years now she has been leading the Nestinarche children’s formation which she set up at the Georgi Kondolov community centre in the town of Tsarevo. In the nearby village of Lozenets she founded another children’s folk group called Lozenche. Alongside, she has been leading the female ethnographic group of the village and in 2008 she created a male singing ensemble which revives this type of Standzha singing and has in its repertoire old songs from the region. The singer is also the founder of the folklore formations Urdoviza (based on the name of the oldest settlement in the region of present-day Kiten) and Aleni Bozhurcheta in the municipality of Sredets.

“These talented young people have brought us many awards and much glory. I owe big gratitude to accordionist Plamen Yanev, with whom I work, as well as to the mayors of these municipalities which support us so that that these gifted youngsters can grow up to be happy and develop their skills. Some of them have made a successful career such as Kostadin Mihailov, a folk singer and researcher of the history of his native region. There are also Yanislav Kostov Ivanov – professor in music and history. I am also proud of Georgi Yovnov, Stefani Stoyanova, Petar Manolov, and many, many others… I feel rewarded for my efforts and gratified with their achievements”.

Again with the support of municipal teams, Zlatka Stavreva has started several folklore festivals. One of them is the international festival Atlimanska Oraglitsa (Atliman Necklace) which is the only forum of this type along Bulgaria’s Southern Black sea coast. Due to the lockdown in spring, this year’s edition was cancelled but the musical and dance festival Folklore Pletenitsa also created by Mrs. Stavreva took place.

On the occasion of her 70^th birthday and her 55^th anniversary as a singer, Kostadin Mihailov has taken up the task of writing her biography entitled The Daughter of the Legendary Standzha Mountain. It will be officially launched to the public in the spring of next year in Burgas and several other locations linked to the prolific professional activity of the famous singer. So, albeit with a short delay, her numerous admirers will have the opportunity to mark the holiday that she celebrates today.

English version Rossitsa Petcova