Balkan Adventure, Sofia
- 21 June to 28 June 2026Directed By Andrea Brown
Introduction
Sofia is a compact capital with a long and visible history, where Roman ruins, Orthodox churches and 19th-century buildings sit alongside a lively modern city. It is less tourist-driven than many European capitals, which gives it an authentic feel and makes it easy to move around without crowds or long journeys.
Our concert in Sofia will take place on the Friday night and there will be an extra performance in Plovdiv where we will spend Saturday - giving us the opportunity to explore - and sing in - Bulgaria's two most impressive and interesting cities, Our very nice hotel - the Grand Hotel Sofia - is situated just across the square road from our equally nice rehearsal room. It all looked too good to miss when we went for our inspection visit last year.
The course will begin with dinner at 7.30 pm on Sunday evening with rehearsals starting in earnest on the Monday morning. The course will finish after breakfast the following Sunday.
Who is the course for?
This is not a Bring & Sing event. Participants should be experienced choral singers with some sight-reading ability and must be prepared to learn their part beforehand. Having said that, nobody is expected to be note-perfect on Day One and if you sing regularly in a church or choral society you shouldn't struggle with the music we are performing.
Musical Director
Andrea Brown is the conductor of the RWCMD Chamber Choir, the Exeter Festival Chorus, and the Somerset Chamber Choir. Andrea works regularly as conductor…
Programme to include:
John Wilbye – Sweet Honey-Sucking Bees/Yet Sweet Take Heed
John Wilbye – Weep, weep mine eyes.
Elgar – The Shower/The Fountain
Vaughan Williams – Three Elizabethan Part-songs
Holst – I Love my love
Britten – Choral Dances from Gloriana
Thea Musgrave – Four Madrigals
Dobrinka Tabakova – Good-will to men and Peace on Earth
Dessi Stevanova – Shto Mi E Millo
As mentioned, we will be staying in on of the city's top hotels - the Grand Hotel Sofia. We think you will like it!
This bit is up to you and is not included in the price. There are affordable budget flights available from Easyjet and Ryanair to Sofia and there are also scheduled services from Heathrow with the main national carriers. You need to arrive in time for dinner on Sunday night and can leave any time on the following Sunday.
The Balkan Adventure fee including the concerts, seven nights accommodation in the Grand Hotel, and four Group Meals will be £1495 per person sharing. (Single occupancy supplement £45 per night). A deposit of £295 is required when booking with final payment due no later than eight weeks before our arrival in Sofia. Non-singing partners sharing singers' rooms are welcome - subject to availability - and pay a reduced fee of £1195. Music - which can be kept - will cost £35 and is sent out about six-eight weeks in advance.
Holiday insurance
All participants are advised to have appropriate holiday insurance in place and notify RBS of the policy provider.
Any questions?
If you have any questions at all please contact Nick Couchman (nick@runbysingers.org) or Emma Ford (emma@runbysingers.org) or ring us during office hours on 01462 372702. The office is not always occupied so please do leave a message and we will get back to you.
