Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2026 All Rights Reserved

Lea Ivanova’s 100th birth anniversary

Photo: Youtube / PICTOMASTER music box

On August 13, music fans in Bulgaria mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lea Ivanova - one of the first female jazz performers in Bulgaria. She was born in 1923 in Dupnitsa but grew up in Tsarigrad (Istanbul), where her singing talent manifested itself in the children's choir of the Bulgarian Exarchate. She arrived in Sofia in the 1940s, when she joined various jazz and swing formations. 

Repressed by the communist regime because of the so called "decadent Western music" she performed, the singer was more appreciated abroad, where she managed to perform actively in the 1960s - in Romania, Hungary, then Yugoslavia and East Germany, and later - in the USA, Canada, South America, etc. 

With her charismatic personality and captivating stage presence, Lea Ivanova remains one of the biggest legends of Bulgarian music.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Nadejda Tzanova

Leading Bulgarian musicians join Estonia’s Evgeny Mravinsky festival

On 23 and 24 November, in Narva and Tallinn, the Narva City Symphony Orchestra (Narva Linna Sümfooniaorkester) under chief conductor Anatoli Shchura presents an intriguing programme featuring works by Mozart, Alfred Schnittke, and Bulgarian composer..

published on 11/21/25 9:35 AM

"Against Time" … The return of Factor Band

“Friends”, “The Main Street”, “The Tall Girl”, “Till the Last Hour”, “Guitar on the Platform”, and many more… Rock hits with deep lyrics and messages that shaped more than one generation — this is what we find in the new double live album by the band..

published on 11/20/25 1:12 PM

Unique opera and ballet festivities in Stara Zagora to start on November 21

One of the most significant events on Bulgaria’s cultural calendar - the Festival of Opera and Ballet Art in Stara Zagora - traditionally will open with a premiere by the host company, the Stara Zagora State Opera .  On November 21 and 22,..

published on 11/20/25 7:25 AM