Tzvetanka Varimezova

Adjunct Associate Professor
Music of the Balkans ensemble
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Tzvetanka Varimezova was born in Bulgaria and received a B.A. degree in choral conducting and folk instrument pedagogy from the Academy of Music and Dance in Plovdiv. During the 1980s she directed the choir of a regional professional ensemble of folk song and dance in the town of Pazardzhik. During the 1990s she was a soloist and assistant choral director for a number of professional women's choirs in Sofia, including the Bulgarian National Ensemble of Folk Song and Dance, named after its founder, Filip Kutev. She has many solo recordings to her name and is well-known for her brilliant, high-pitched tone quality and her interpretations of the highly ornamented songs from her native Pazardzhik region. She came to the U.S. in 2001 to teach at UCLA.

Since 2001, she has worked with several choirs in the U.S.: "Nevenka"- Los Angeles, "Zhena"- San Pedro, "Kitka"- San Francisco and "Planina"- Denver, Colorado. She has also conducted many workshops in Greece, Denmark, Japan and France. The UCLA choir, "Superdevoiche," recently performed at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, which was a great experience for the students. During the last six years, Ivan and Tzvetanka Varimezovi have organized many concerts in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other cities. In the summer of 2005, Ivan and Tzvetanka organized the first international tour for the UCLA Balkan Ensemble, which included concerts throughout Bulgaria and a performance in the International Folk Festival in Bourgas.