In a community hall in Krumovgrad in Bulgaria’s Eastern Rhodopes, the Demet choir is in full swing. Two musicians on saz (traditional Ottoman string instruments) lead a group of women as they sing about the green mountains, life and love.
Demet Choir
The community is of Turkish descent and we’re visiting during a research trip for Nico de Transilvania’s latest artist residency, supported by Cambridge University’s Endangered Landscape and Seascapes Programme. Following on from the success of Interbeing in Romania, Nico is collaborating with renowned Bulgarian musician and composer Ivan Shopov and the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) to produce a new multi-media body of work.
In a similar vein to Interbeing, the ‘Iron Curtain to Green Belt’ project will tell stories of the landscape, wildlife and local people through music and film – highlighting the essential conservation work of the BSPB. Working with local folk singers and musicians, the aim is to help preserve these traditions for a modern audience, while raising awareness of environmental and cultural challenges.
Ivan Shopov
“I’ve worked for a long time with Bulgarian traditional songs. Our culture, like nature, is also at risk of being lost and forgotten. This collaborative project is a perfect opportunity to work together creatively, to bring attention to these subjects and help preserve our natural and cultural heritage for the next generation.”
It’s January and the team is staying in Madzharavo, a small town in the mountains near the border with Turkey, home to BSPB’s education and information centre. A busy mining hub in Communist days, today it’s a sleepy place surrounded by the grandeur of the Eastern Rhodopes, the most biodiverse region in the country with a mosaic of landscapes. It’s the only breeding spot in Bulgaria for griffon vultures, a key site for the globally-threatened Egyptian vulture, and home to dozens of other raptor species, as well as mammals from wolf and jackal to souslik. Empty tower blocks at the entrance to town are painted with a giant Egyptian vulture mural, a creative nod to the exceptional and endangered birdlife here and the on-going conservation work.
Vladimir Dobrev with Nico de Transilvania and Jane Dunford
Egyptian Vulture Mural
BSPB is the first and largest non-governmental organisation in Bulgaria and over a few days we meet the passionate team and learn about its work, from rigorous data collection to vulture feeding stations, from anti-poison dog patrols to working with local farmers to preserve habitat. Nature benefitted from strict border patrols here in the past, but policies to poison predators in the Fifties and Sixties decimated vulture populations and other wildlife, and it’s an ongoing battle to help the flora and fauna recover. Protecting the Egyptian vulture is among the most challenging projects – the bird’s migration route through Africa takes it across 14 countries, so creating a safe flight path is paramount.
Eco-tourism has a growing role to play here too – Madzharavo and its surrounds is a prime destination for birdwatchers and photographers, with other mammals and plantlife (particularly the wealth of orchids) attracting nature lovers.. There’s accommodation at the BSPB centre and around town (we stay at the atmospheric 200-year-old Old Nest) with visitors joining trips to hides with expert guides.
The new artist residency is set to bring the BSPB’s work to a wider audience. “Art, as a powerful medium, will serve as a means to expand our message, elevate the visibility of our efforts, and resonate with individuals who may currently be unaware of the pressing environmental challenges we face,” said communication and public relations officer Elitsa Ivanova.
With Elitsa and colleagues Vladimir Dobrev and Dimitar Gradinarov, we visit the volcanic cliffs of Kovan Kaya on the Arda river, where a small colony of Griffon vultures, thought extinct in the area, was discovered in the 80s. Now, thanks to BSPB, the population has swelled with around 120 pairs nesting here. It’s thrilling to see dozens of these giants swoop overhead (their wingspan can be up to 270cm) silhouetted against the bluest sky and jagged mountain peaks. We spot a black vulture and peregrine falcon too (the fastest bird on earth).
Back in Madjarovo we meet the Iglika choir, a lively group of septuagenarian Christian ladies rehearsing in the local library, led by charismatic music teacher Stephen Milev. Stephen teaches at the local school too and writes his own songs inspired by nature. He regales us with his song about the eagle, describing its flight over river, cliff and valley – the anthem for the school. “Nature is an inspiration,” he explained, “the beauty of this area and the people.” Recording schoolchildren, as well as elders, is part of the residency plan, helping bring generations together.
Iglika Choir
Stephen Milev with Nico de Transilvania
After an inspiring few days in the mountains, we head back to the capital Sofia, where Nico and Ivan reunite in the studio to discuss the collaboration further. Ideas are brewing of the natural soundscapes, choirs and instruments they might record, all to be magically woven into new electronic music, creating a bridge between past and present, between humans and nature.
Ivan Shopov and Nico de Transilvania
Using the power of art to strengthen and celebrate the bond between people and the natural world is life-affirming – and something that lies at the heart of the work of Forests Without Frontiers, the charity Nico founded in 2018. Besides helping the BSPB communicate the vital work they do, any funds raised from the album and film will go back into supporting the endangered landscape.
“I am excited and honoured to work on this new collaboration. Learning more about BSPB’s work, soaking up the landscape, and meeting the musicians from the area has been so inspiring. I look forward to creating an impactful body of work to help celebrate and protect this incredible area, its wildlife and culture.”
While initial seed funding has been provided by Cambridge, additional support is currently being sought to help expand the project, and create a bigger body of work and supporting film. Do please get in touch to discuss getting involved.
Written by Jane Dunford