The Bodra Smyana Choir

Abstract

A Bulgarian children's choir so enchanted delegates to the 1964 meeting of the International Society for Music Education in Budapest, that Karl Ernst called their performance “ the highlight of the event.” Mr. Ernst. a past-president of the MENC who was elected ISME president at the Budapest meeting. added that he had “ never heard children respond so artistically or with such a sense of dedication.” This praise, echoed by the several hundred music educators in Budapest. was directed to the Bodra Smyana Choir of Sofia. Bulgaria. Albert Wassell. a delegate from Trenton. New Jersey. was not content merely to praise: He wanted to know how these children were trained to such heights. To find out, he began an interview-by-mail with the choir's director. Bontcho Botchev. For many months questions went out from Trenton and answers came back from Sofia. Bontcho Bofchev, through his generosity to share his techniques with music educators in the United States, employed a translator to make the project practical. All quesaions were freely and fully answered. The questions and answers that follow are the result of that interview-by-mail. Answers are printed substantially as submitted in order to preserve the “flavor” of the translator's English. The Editorial Board of the Journal appreciates the resourcefulness of Mr. Wassell and the cooperation of Bontcho Botchev for providing this provocative material about one of the world's outstanding children's choirs.