The International Chorus Festival “Harmonia - 2019“ was held on 08.06.2019 in the concert hall of the Community Center “Druzhba 1870“ Harmanli. The singers of the mixed choir “Slavey“ - Harmanli dedicated the thirteenth edition of the festival of Honorary Chairman Gencho Donchev, who unexpectedly for all, left this world on 2 January this year. Mr. Donchev was the founder, initiator and main organizer of all the editions of the “Harmony“ Festival, as well as all the events of the choir in the country and abroad; one of the most pronounced singer in the Slavey choir from 1977 until his death. To revere the memory the public figure, the patriot and the culture figure Gencho Donchev, the hosts invited singers from the choir “Rodina“/Motherland/ - Stara Zagora and choir “Petko Staynov“ - Kazanlak, who, together with the choir “Slavey“/Nightingale/ - Harmanli and under the conduction of Mladen Stanev, they opened the festival with: 1. Requiem - Luigi Kerubini; 2. Choir from the opera “A Tale of the City of Kitez“ - Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov; 3. Serenade - Franz Schubert; 4. Conquest of the Paradise - Vangelis; 5. Pine tree is wreathing , bending - Petko Staynov; 6. Come on, Yano - Petko Staynov and 7. Choir of the Jews from the Nabucco Opera - Giuseppe Verdi.

The program continued with the performances of the young mixed choir “Svilengrad“ to a community center “Prosveta-1870“ from city Svilengrad, with conductor Kiril Tarpov, which includes works, as well arrangements of Bulgarian folklore, also works of world classics: 1. Viva tutte le vezzose - Felipe Giardini; 2. Dark fog and 3. Now it is curled up - Dobri Hristov; 4. Grozda Moma - Dimitar Dinev; 5. When You Believe - Stephen Schwartz and 6. Kon - Igor Matvienko.

This year, the guests from neighboring Greece were represented by two choirs. First, performed their wonderful performances The mixed choir from the Cultural Center of the town of Thermi with conductor Eleftheria Metaxa-Armodorou, who performed traditional Greek songs by Teodorakis and Hatzidakis, as well as the Bulgarian song “Lilyano mome“ - a traditional Bulgarian arrangement.

Following them on stage, a women“s choir goes, composed from singers from Municipal Choir - Dimitrovgrad and choir “Rodna Pesen“/Native Song/ - Haskovo, under the conduction of Mrs. Nikolina Stamatova, who performed: 1. Shto mi e milo i drago- Petko Staynov; 2. Thebe poem - Dobri Hristov; 3. Prolet /Spring/ - Felix Mendelssohn and 4. Yo le Canto Todo el Dia - David L. Brunner.

Following them was the winner of numerous musical awards A representative choir “Rodna Pesen“ from Community center “Zarya“ - Haskovo with conductor Nikolina Stamatova who performed: 1. Five Nocturne - Mozart; 2. Psalm 150 - Ernani Aguilar and 3. Doctor Jazz – Melrose, Oliver.

The festival program ended with the performances of the other Greek choir - the Mixed choir of the town of Mikra, Thessaloniki Prefecture, with conductor Eleftheria Metaxa-Armodorou. Traditional Greek songs, Byzantine hymns, classical choir works by Greek and foreign composers, as well as the song “Bre, Petrunko“ - Philip Kutev, performed in Bulgarian language were included in the choir“s repertoire. The audience welcomed with due enthusiasm the performances of the guests from Greece and applauded them for a long time.

At the end, Mr. Kiril Tarpov utteranced a greeting on behalf of the Bulgarian Choral Union to the organizers and participants of the festival.