Huffington Magazine Issue 71 | Page 76

Exit MUSIC BULGARIAN STATE MARK NEIKRUG RADIO & TELEVISION FEMALE VOCAL CHOIR Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Vocal Choir (a.k.a. Bulgarian State Female Vocal Choir) is a transcendent troupe of celestial voices. The sound is nothing less than mystical. Founded in the age of Stalin, the choir’s mission was to elevate the legacy of Bulgarian folk music and its rich Ottoman/ Byzantine imperial heritages. Their first album, the brainchild of producer Marcel Cellier, was released in 1975, at the height of the Cold War. Then in 1989, as communism fell, the ensemble won a Grammy for best folk album. Bulgarian State Female Vocal Choir has even collaborated with English nightingale Kate Bush. The title “Kalimankou Denkou” (The Evening Gathering), from the 1989 album Le Mystère Des Voix Bulgares, lives in the upper stratosphere of brilliant. TAP HERE TO BUY: iTunes.com GENRE: Vocal ARTIST: Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Vocal Choir SONG: Kalimankou Denkou (The Evening Gathering) ALBUM: Le Mystère Des Voix Bulgares Classical maestro, pianist, and conductor Marc Neikrug, a fourthgeneration musician, was born in New York City to cellist parents. Neikrug is the only American composer to be commissioned by the Deutsche Oper Berlin (Los Alamos), and his opera Through Roses is an acclaimed study of the Holocaust. His works have been performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, and Cleveland Orchestra. Collaborations include Zubin Mehta, Loren Maazel, Jaqueline Du Pre, Lynn Harrell, Chick Corea, and David Zinman. Highlights include three ASCAP awards, a Golden Bear, and the Charlie Rose show. In his 17th season leading the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Neikrug has added a symposium “Music, the Brain, Medicine, and Wellness” and most recently recorded an eightpart CD series based on Native American ritual titled Healing Ceremony, graced by Susan Graham and the New Mexico Symphony, commissioned for the dedication of the University of New Mexico Cancer Center. With over 30 releases to collect, rediscover “Duo for Violin and Piano: Senza Misura,” from the 2007 collection Neikrug, featuring the Hessischer Rundfunk Orchestra and Pinchas Zukerman. TAP HERE TO BUY: iTunes.com GENRE: Classical ARTIST: Marc Neikrug SONG: Due for Violin and Piano: Senza Misura ALBUM: Neikrug HUFFINGTON 10.20.13 JACK NITZSCHE Illustrious composer, songwriter, producer, pianist, and arranger Jack