Minister Nayden Todorov joined the discussions of the problem that brought the guild together at a round table in Sofia

On September 26, a round table was held on the topic: “The Profession of Folk Musician in Bulgaria – Status and Problems of Education and Implementation”, which was attended by the Minister of Culture Mr. Nayden Todorov, representatives of 10 professional ensembles, the project leaders – Dimitar Hristov and Antoanela Petrova, members of the Management Board of the BMA and the author of the final analysis Assoc. Prof. Dr. Veselka Toncheva from the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with the Ethnographic Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

During the round table, the results of the two-year project of the Bulgarian Music Association – “Folklore Musician” were presented, which was provoked by the urgent need to study and objectively show the state and problems facing folklore musicians in the country. They were the basis of the debates and the conversation about finding common solutions, which lasted over 3 hours. The need to build a long-term strategy for the development of the sector was also discussed.

The analysis is the result of a field study conducted among professional folklore ensembles and schools with music-folklore education in the country and shows quite alarming results.

The study shows the extremely deteriorated situation in which professional folklore art functions in the country and indicates that if attention is not paid to the folklore musician, some traditional Bulgarian instruments such as the tambourine, gadulka and kaval will disappear within 10-15 years. Therefore, the serious lack of personnel to fill the folklore ensembles will lead to the cessation of their activities, and from there to the destruction of Bulgarian folklore.

The reasons for the difficult state of the sector are of course many, but one of the main problems is the low wages, without opportunities for financial growth, which leads to the lack of prestige of the profession and the fact that young people do not want to engage in folklore professionally, and those employed in the sector are mainly of retirement age.

“The most important topic for me is the status of the ensembles, because when additional funding is found, they will not be able to benefit from it, since they are not legal entities, but appointed employees of municipalities. However, as we know, most municipalities do not have enough money. Unfortunately, the state does not have enough money either. But what will happen if the municipalities and the state work together? Then the money will be enough. And there is a way in the law for the state and municipalities to work together, namely regional cultural institutes,” said Minister Nayden Todorov.

This is also one of the main proposals of the Bulgarian Music Association, around which the Minister and representatives of the industry united, namely that professional folklore ensembles be separated as independent musical and performing arts institutes, which will encourage more effective management of their budget and income and an opportunity to develop a long-term strategy for their development. A suitable form for the ensembles is their transformation into regional cultural institutes, which allows for a combination of state and municipal funding and the assignment of state tasks for the promotion of folklore art.

The lack of financial resources and a national policy for the development and preservation of folklore ensembles threatens Bulgarian folklore from extinction, and it is the brightest example of cultural identity, national wealth and is fundamental for Bulgarians.