Vulkana Stoyanova

Vulkana Stoyanova (July 7, 1922 - January 11,2009) from the Thracian village of Lyulin (Eni Mahle) Yambol district, began her professional singing career at the tender age of 14. Overheard by chance while singing in her back yard by a talent scout for a local record company, she was entreated to travel immediately to Sofia to record. Her family reluctantly agreed, and she was accompanied by her father to her first session. During this round of recordings, in 1936, she immortalizated several sides: "Dimo na Rada dumashe" and "Dimitur tovari gimiya".

Vulkana went on to become one of Bulgaria's most influential and beloved professional singers in the Thracian style. This style is noted for its dense ornamantation and its free-metered ballads. Vulkana recorded about fifty 78 rpm discs, the last of which was cut in the summer of 1941. She joined the newly-formed State Ensembe for Folk Songs and Dance - Filip Kutev as a soloist in the year of its inception - 1951.

Listen to an audio clip of her song Dimitur tovari gimiya from the CD Song of the Crooked Dance