site.btaBulgaria, Serbia Come Up with Jazz Versions of Folk Songs under Cross-Border Project

A Bulgarian-Serbian project entitled "Safeguarding and Promotion of Intangible Cultural Heritage" was completed with ideas for future interactions. It was funded under the INTERREG IPA Bulgaria-Serbia Cross-border Cooperation Programme. The lead partner of the project is the Nisville Foundation, which organizes the eponymous international jazz festival in Serbia. On the Bulgarian side, the activities were implemented by the Local Heritage Pernik non-profit association, BTA learned from the latter's Board Chair Milena Lyubenova.

She said: "It all started back in 2018 when the Nisville Foundation invited us to become partners on a project that would involve activities on both sides of the border promoting the intangible cultural heritage. The main idea of our partners was related to folk songs. They also suggested that we include a jazz arrangement."

It was decided to choose ten folk songs from Bulgaria and Serbia each. They were selected by musicians and were later arranged in a jazz style.

Bulgaria added the Masquerade Games as another characteristic element of the cultural heritage of Pernik Region.