CITYSHOWCASE.CO.UK

Perunika Trio

ArtForm: Fashion, CityShowcase Act/Composer

www.myspace.com/perunika

The London-based a’capella Perunika Trio was founded in October 2005 by Eugenia Georgieva (artistic director). The trio took part in a number of UK folk festivals - Eastbourne Folk Festival 06, Eltham Bulgarian Culture Festival, Dance around the World at Cecil Sharp House, Bulgarian National Gathering 07.

The singers participated in the Voice Lab initiative lead by Mary King and performed for “The Singing River” project, celebrating the re-opening of the Royal Festival Hall, as part of “Surge” Choir in June 2007. They performed at Mayor’s Thames Festival 08 and Sunrise Celebration@The Big Chill 08, and won the third prize in Folk Song Group category at the prestigious Llangollen Musical Eisteddfod in July 2008. They have also performed at art centres, churches and club nights throughout the UK.

In 2009 PERUNIKA performed at Chichester Festivities, and The Mayor of London’s Thames Festival, and were invited to play Amsterdam’s prestigious Concertgebouw, and RASA in Utrecht (planned for 2010)
.
Perunika incorporate Bulgarian, Macedonian and Russian traditional music and Orthodox chants into a broader Slavic repertoire.  They are rapidly gaining recognition and had an interview and live session with Mark Coles at BBC World Service’s programme The Ticket in July 2008. Collaborations include work with Max Pashm Band (“Never Mind the Balkans”) and Transglobal Underground (“UNITE”).

PERUNIKA’s debut album “INTRODUCING Perunika Trio” was released worldwide by independent label World Music Network, on 17th March 2008 to a critical acclaim.

"The Perunika Trio show that you don’t have to be a vast choir to create that haunting, keening sound(...) combining a madrigal-like delicacy with a brooding Eastern Orthodox spirituality." Mark Hudson, The Daily Telegraph Mar 15, 2008

"If you've ever heard Le Mystère de Voix Bulgares you'll know how haunting Bulgarian vocal harmonies can be. The Perunika Trio are like an ultra-focused choir with just one voice per part, but perfectly tuned and blended" ... Simon Broughton, Evening Standard

“What results at times suggests the famed Bulgarian Women's Choir in a much more intimate, but equally moving, form.” George Varga, The San Diego Union-Tribune
“…United in their feistiness, as well as their loyalty to their Balkan roots, the members of Perunika Trio don't adhere strictly to tradition so much as give it an upgrade.” Jeff Tamarkin, Global Rhythm
"...As fine a slice of Eastern Euro a'capella as you're likely to find this side of Trio Bulgarka"
 FROOTS, 18/2008

EUGENIA GEORGIEVA - the artistic director of the trio studied at a music school in USSR and won a gold medal in 1984 in Russian festival "Alyosha" (Stary Oskol), in the children's category. She has sung in various choirs in USSR and Bulgaria.  In 1996 she started her own rock band "Lady Jane" whose songs were played on Bulgarian National Radio Horizont, and were invited to participate in the European Culture Month - Plovdiv, 1999.  Since 2003 she has worked on several house/dance projects as a singer/songwriter.  Currently she is the  lead singer with Klezmer/ Balkan outfit Max Pashm Band.  Eugenia was a former member/soloist of London Bulgarian Choir, voted BBC3 Choir of the Year 2006 in the Open category and her session work includes the BBC drama soundtrack "The Virgin Queen", backing vocals for the band "Julia" (with drummer Dave Rowntree - ex-BLUR) and Tonci Huljic (BOND quartet), work with tribal dance producer Phil Thornton, live sessions for BBC3 (World on 3, Late Junction) and BBC World Service etc(www.myspace.com/eugenieg)A

DESSISLAVA VASILEVA is a talented young singer who studied traditional singing with Bulgarian folk legend Kalinka Zgurova and is currently a student at the Academy of Music and Dance (AMTI) in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. She has sung with AMTI Academic Choir and recorded with them an album of arrangements by K. Kyurkchiyski (Grammy Award winner 1990). She has also sung recently with Trakia Ensemble, who were part of the world-famous project Le Mystere de Voix Bulgares in the early nineties.

Serbian-born JASMINA STOSIC recently graduated from The Guildford School of Acting Conservatoire. Professional theatre credits include: Sweeney Todd at The Royal Festival Hall alongside Bryn Terfel and Maria Friedman, Jenufa at The Arcola Theatre, The Wiz at The Bloomsbury Theatre; the leading role in The Dybbuk at The King’s Head Theatre for which she received rave reviews. In 2002 she recorded with James Sherman and Sam Babenia (composers of Elysium- Charlotte Church) three tracks for a concept album.lgariDESSISLAVA VASILEVA is a talented young singer who studied traditional singing with Bulgarianfolk legend Kalinka Zgurova and is currently a student at the Academy of Music and Dance who studied traditional singing with Bulgarian folk legend Kalinka Zgurova and is currentl  student at the Academy of Music and DanAMTI Academic Chond recorded with them an album of arrangements by K. Kyurkchiyski (Grammy Award winner 1990). She has also sung recently with Trakia Ensemble, who were part of the world-famous project Le Mystere de Voix Bulgares in the early nineties. ents by K. Kyurkchiyski (Grammy Award winner 1990). She has also sung recently with Trakia Ensemble, who were part of the world-famous project Le Mystere de Voix Bulgares in the early nineties. DESSISLAVA VASILEVA is a talented young singer who studied traditional singing with Bulgarian folk legend Kalinka Zgurova and is currently a student at the Academy of Music and Dance (AMTI) in Plovdiv,ulgaria. She has sung with AMTI Academic Choir and recorded with them an album of arrangements by K. Kykchiyski (Grammy Award winner 1990). She has also sung recently with Trakia Ensemble, who were part of the world-famous project Le Mystere de Voix Bulgares in the early nineties. a. She has sung with AMTI Academic Choir and recorded with them an um of arrangements by K. Kyurkchiyski (Grammy Award winner 1990). She has also sung recently with Trakia Ensemble, who