ABOUT US

                The Darby Foundation was established on December 18, 2006, as a non-profit legal entity. The mission and goals of the foundation are to contribute to raising the level of knowledge and the quality of formal and non-formal education; to take an active part in the professional orientation and accumulation of knowledge and skills for successful realization of young people; to participate in the construction of educational and cultural bridges between Bulgaria and the rest of the world. The activities of the Foundation are related to improving the awareness of young people in various spheres of modern life, as well as to support their personal development. The Foundation's initiatives encourage young people to realize the cultural and linguistic diversity of Europe and the world, to turn to human virtues and values, to develop their creative skills and stage performances in order to be cultural, informed, communicative and active citizens of the European community and the world. . The means by which the goals of the Foundation are achieved are: - training and education for the adoption of the principles of lifelong learning; - creating a network of associates and partner organizations; - raising funds for various initiatives, projects, campaigns, etc. The subject of activity of the Darby Foundation are: - to organize national and international meetings, forums, seminars, festivals related to education and culture; - to support the opportunities for training and creativity of young people from Bulgaria and abroad; - exchange of visits, participation through various institutions for formal and non-formal education, for increasing the knowledge and skills of young people; - to organize international camps and trips for the purpose of learning through experience. Darby Foundation is a beneficiary of the project "Bulgaria and Norway Sing!" BGCULTURE-2.001-0029
ABOUT THE PROJECT Project BGCULTURE-2.001-0029 "Bulgaria - Norway sing!" Funded by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area 2014-2021 PA14 Program "Cultural Entrepreneurship, Heritage and Cooperation" "Bulgaria - Norway Sing" is a project implemented by the Darby Foundation in partnership with the Norwegian NGO CULTURE BREAK BOARDERS. The overall vision of the project is related to strengthening the social and economic development in Europe through transnational cultural cooperation and exchange of good practices between Bulgaria and Norway in the field of choral and singing arts.
In the activities of "Bulgaria - Norway sing!" Specific goals have been set, namely: improving the access of young people to culture and art at local and regional level, incl. and disadvantaged and ethnic youth; improving the capacity of the Darby Foundation in the field of public engagement and knowledge transfer by training expert staff to improve their professional competences and skills; creation of a common software platform for the exchange of knowledge and good practices through cultural cooperation with the Norwegian partner; development of a new audience in different regions of the country and transnational cooperation through the realization of a series of cultural events within the festival "Bulgaria-Norway sing!"; improving entrepreneurship in the field of culture by developing and implementing a plan to attract an audience in the field of singing and choral art. Thus defined goals of the project are in full compliance with the general objectives of the EEA FM 2014-2021, which are aimed at "contributing to reducing economic and social disparities in the EEA and" Strengthening bilateral relations between Bulgaria and donor countries. According to Article 1, item 2 of the Memorandum of Understanding, among the priority sectors in which this cooperation will be encouraged. The project is fully in line with the objectives of the Cultural Entrepreneurship, Heritage and Cooperation Program, which are aimed at: "strengthening socio-economic development through cultural cooperation, entrepreneurship in the field of culture and cultural heritage". They focus on improving the conditions and quality of representation of the rich cultural heritage by applying interactive methods and by creating entrepreneurial ideas that create a wider interest in heritage and generate revenue. An important priority of future activities is the preservation of Europe's cultural heritage for future generations. Special focus is also placed on support for activities and initiatives in order to ensure wide public access to cultural content, which on the one hand to emphasize European identity and on the other - to promote cultural diversity. Activities and events are planned, such as: creation of a software platform for exchange of knowledge and experience; workshops where Bulgarian and Norwegian conductors will participate in conferences in Bulgaria and Norway to get acquainted with the various choral practices and musical choral creativity of the two countries. Music material will be exchanged, which will be studied by the Bulgarian and Norwegian choirs. Within the project, they will have the opportunity to gather at the Music Camp on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, to rehearse previously learned songs and together to participate in a concert tour - festival in different cities of Bulgaria and Sofia. At the end of the project "Bulgaria - Norway sing!" a joint concert will be held via a teleconference between the participants in the two countries. Participants in the project are: • Children's Choir of the Bulgarian National Radio, Sofia, • Choir of the Plovdiv boys and young men "Stefka Blagoeva" Plovdiv; • Choir "Orpheus" Haskovo; • Vocal group "Saint Seraphim" Sofia; • Choir "Bodra smyana" at NDD Sofia; • Choir of 91 NEG “Prof. K. Galabov ”Sofia; • Vocal group "Sladki pukanki" at NDD Sofia; • Vocal group "Plamuche" Sofia; • Choir "Chisti sarca" Smolyan • Children's Choir from Oslo FOR THE PARTNER Frode Bart and his organization "Culture break borders" are the main partners in the project "Bulgaria and Norway sing!" BGCULTURE-2.001-0029. Frode Bart, born in 1968, is a Norwegian musician and composer with an international career. Implements many projects abroad with many partners and organizations. His main strength lies in his mentoring skills, resulting from his active participation and involvement in various initiatives and projects. He is a member of a group (s) in Denmark, Germany, Brazil, USA, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Spain, Indonesia, Thailand and Cuba. Bart is also an active composer with over 400 registered works. His compositions are performed in many places around the world. He has received numerous awards and scholarships, as well as a Grammy for the album "Going North" (MTG Music) in Estonia. Bart has contributed and released a number of CDs, attended festivals in Norway and abroad, and participated in many television and radio programs. He is also an active composer with a production of approx. 400 works ranging from contemporary classical, jazz, pop / rock and film music. His compositions are often performed in Norway and abroad. Bart is also a member of NOPA (Association of Norwegian Composers and Songwriters since 1990). CONTACTS DARBY Foundation Sofia, 4 St. Nedelya Square Tel .: 02 988 03 40 E-mail: foundation_darbi@abv.bg Fb https://www.facebook.com/darbifoundation PROGRAM In the activities of the project "Bulgaria-Norway sing!" Workshop in Oslo was planned, which took place from 3 to 6 May 2022. It was attended by: conductor of the "Children's Choir of the BNR" - Mihaela Koteva, conductor of the choir "Bodra Smyana" at the NDD Alexander Kochkov, conductor of the Children's Choir "Orpheus" at OP "Youth Center" Haskovo Elena Tsvetkova, conductor of "Plovdiv Boys and Youth" at CPRL ODK Plovdiv Borislava Blagoeva, conductor and composer Father Kiril Popov. His works are included in the repertoire of choirs from Bulgaria and Norway, which will be performed during the summer traveling tour of various cities in Bulgaria. The project coordinator for Bulgaria Albena Toneva was also present with them. The purpose of the workshop was meetings with Norwegian colleagues, attending rehearsals, to exchange experiences in the field of choral and musical creativity of Norway and Bulgaria with the main theme "Norwegian Children's Song".
Workshop "Music Camp" - before the start of the tour in Primorsko it is planned to hold a 4-day Workshop for exchange of musical, singing and conducting practices between conductors, on the one hand, and performers, on the other, from Bulgaria and Norway, respectively. in which conductors, composers, soloists, performers, accompanists - external experts from both sides will take part. The aim is to jointly prepare choirs from Bulgaria and Norway by exchanging different musical approaches; rehearse together pre-read Bulgarian and Norwegian songs in preparation for the concerts of the upcoming tour.
Organization and holding of the youth music festival "Bulgaria-Norway sing!" The activity is aimed at achieving the goals of the project related to "improving the access of young people to culture, including young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and ethnic groups, at local and regional level in the field of singing and choral arts, as well as and with the development of audiences in different regions of the country through the realization of a series of cultural events within the festival "Bulgaria - Norway Sing" in close cooperation with the Norwegian partner CULTURE BREAK BORDERS. Within the framework of the music festival, together with the partner organization of the project, a traveling tour will be organized and conducted in the country, dedicated to the promotion of the diversity and richness of the European choral and singing heritage. It is planned to realize 8 choral concerts in different musical genres, 3 of which are in the peripheral areas of Sofia - Kremikovtsi, Orlandovtsi, Bankya, and 5 in smaller towns from 4 more districts. the country in which a different audience will be attracted. As part of the foundation's strategy to attract audiences and ensure the sustainability of the project, amateur and professional bands will be invited to attend and participate in the concerts: a Norwegian children's choir of 20 performers and 10 Bulgarian musicians. The idea is for children and young people to join, preserve, preserve and transmit the traditions of Bulgarian and European culture, the musical diversity of the Old Continent.
Organizing and conducting a joint concert between the project partners through a tele-bridge. The activity includes organizing and conducting a joint Bulgarian-Norwegian youth choir concert through a teleconference and is the final part of the festival "Bulgaria-Norway sing!" The concert will be attended by Bulgaria - all Bulgarian choirs that participated in the tour, which will perform a repertoire of Bulgarian and Norwegian songs in various styles and genres - classical music, jazz, folklore and more. On the Norwegian side, with the inclusion of Oslo, the Norwegian choir, which visited Bulgaria during the tour, will take part, as well as other Norwegian choirs and popular soloists and professional musicians. Their repertoire will include not only Norwegian but also Bulgarian songs. The concert with the Bulgarian participants will take place in Sofia in a suitable hall, and in Oslo the Norwegian choir will be performed in one of the city's halls or cathedrals. The scheduled date for the tele-bridge (the general concert) is the end of August or the beginning of September. There are no restrictions on the number of children in the choirs. Some conductors may include additional children who have not traveled the country, at their discretion and desire to perform. NEWS HISTORY AND TRAINING GALLERY