site.btaBulgarian Woman Conducts 450 Musicians in Berlin, Flies with Paraglider in Her Spare Time

A conductor's greatest asset is to motivate the musicians to bring out the best of them, conductor Donka Miteva told BTA in an interview on Tuesday. 

Miteva has been working in Germany for more than 20 years. Since 2011 she has been the artistic director and conductor of the Collegium Musicum in Berlin, which consists of over 450 singers and instrumentalists.

On October 8, she will work with Bulgarian colleagues for the first time since leaving Bulgaria, as she will conduct the National Philharmonic Choir in the Bulgaria hall in Sofia. The programme will include works by Julio Dominguez, John August Pamintuan, and many others, while the soloists will be Georgi Boykin on the organ, Ivo Alexandrov on the cello, Orfey Petrov as baritone, and Snezhina Kumanova as alto. 

Miteva will return on December 14 for a guest appearance with her symphony orchestra and oratorio choir from the Berlin Collegium Musikum, to perform Cantatas from Bach's Christmas Oratorio.

Thrill, tickle, pleasure, a challenge and an honor. This is how Miteva defines her upcoming performance with the Sofia Philharmonic. With a smile she noted that the ensembles in Berlin are not quite disciplined, even though the Germans are famously known for their discipline.

"Choir music has a very important role and should occupy more and more space in our lives. Both in Bulgaria and in Germany, the situation is very similar. It is very important how this is done in schools and how children get to this point, to start singing and to even have the idea that choirs exist at all," Miteva said. Her personal world outside the music is no less colourful, as she flies with a paraglider, likes to climb, walk her dog, go out with her son and with friends.

Donka Miteva, in a conversation with BTA's Dahnyelle Dymytrov, about the return to her homeland and the projects she is working on, the musician's motivation and the challenge of conducting 450 people, as well as about the professional discipline and the help she offers to her younger colleagues:

You have an impressive professional resume as a conductor. What do you say to yourself in the morning when you wake up?

I really love my job and I really enjoy rehearsing with choirs, orchestras, ensembles. I also teach conducting. When I wake up in the morning, I'm usually excited to go to work. Of course, some days it's not like that, but in general I like working with music and with people who make music.

What do you expect and demand from the people you work with? What can they expect from you?

People should be motivated, but they are not always. A lot depends on their mood. Of course, my job is also to motivate people, which is the greatest asset for a conductor – when you succeed, you will motivate people to give their best. It is a constant work and struggle to be able to achieve a high score in music. I'm pretty goal oriented, so I have very high standards both for myself and for the people I work with. But I try to achieve this in a respectful and friendly atmosphere, which is very important to me.

You work with ensembles in Germany, Denmark, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Portugal, the Vatican. China. Is this happening at the same time?

It's different. In some years I'm much more concentrated in Germany, for example. Other years I have projects where I conduct either orchestras or choirs or do workshops with colleagues in different countries. Sometimes I am on the jury of various competitions. So there are different forms in which I can work with people from all over the world.

Now you work in Bulgaria. Has this return been planned for a long time?

I am very happy to have this opportunity to work with the National Philharmonic Choir. This is really happening for the first time and it is a great pleasure and honor for me. So far I'm only meeting good vibes and attitude. In the last more than 20 years I have always worked in Germany or in other countries where I have lived. I have visited Bulgaria with my German chamber choir, but for the first time since I left the country, I will be working with a Bulgarian choir.

Is it a thrill that for the first time you are working in Bulgaria, with your compatriots, in the Bulgarian language?

Yes, it absolutely thrills, tickles, delights and challenges. On the very first day, I told my colleagues that I had never rehearsed in Bulgarian, and at first I was searching a bit for the  right words, since I mainly rehearse in German and English. It's always a challenge to work with new people. It is special for me that I am in Bulgaria, in Sofia, the city where I grew up and where I studied.

Were there any surprises in working with the Bularian choir – not only in terms of musical preparation and skill, but also purely on an organisational level, for example?

I think it's a process. Now I'm only here for a week and a lot can be accomplished in that time, but it's not a permanent state. My ensembles in Berlin are sometimes not quite disciplined, even though the Germans are known for their discipline. But with time people get used to it. I am generally quite demanding of discipline, especially of those I work with on a regular basis. They know it very well and with time one gets used to the dynamics of the work. You just have to work for it and have a mutual desire to achieve it.

Did you synchronise quickly with the National Philharmonic Choir? Did you get that chemistry that, perhaps, all artists are looking for?

Yes, I think the chemistry worked. And, to my delight, it happened relatively quickly. I think that each subsequent rehearsal gets better and better, and so does the contact between us. The colleagues understand better and better exactly what I want, my vision for the music, for the works, for the sound I expect to be obtained, which is different in each work. The goal is to get a more dynamic performance.

Did you come up with the proposal for the repertoire you are working on in Sofia?

Yes, I came up with it. I had suggested other things as well. The programme was chosen together with the management of the Sofia Philharmonic. The first part will be Requiem by Maurice Durufle for mixed choir, in the version with organ, with soloist Georgi Boykin. In the second part, there are works from the 20th and 21st centuries, by various composers, which give the choir the opportunity to unfold in a different direction. You know, acapella singing is not easy at all.

Bulgarian music is missing...

Yes, it is missing in this programme. But maybe in the future...

Since 2011, you have been the artistic director and conductor of the Collegium Musikum in Berlin, which consists of over 450 singers and instrumentalists. You conduct all four ensembles - large orchestra and oratorio choir, chamber orchestra and chamber choir. How do you handle such a large group?

Yes, these are four ensembles, exclusively made up of students or people who work at the university and in their spare time are involved with music. They are, in general, very motivated, very ambitious, especially our representative ensembles. The large symphony orchestra and chamber choir often participate in festivals and competitions and win prizes. They have a great desire to play music at a very high level, which is very close to that of professional ensembles in Germany. And it is an absolute pleasure and honour for me to be able to work with them. We rehearse every day, as I am the only conductor.

Do you know each of these people personally?

Yes. Maybe I don't know everyone's names in the big choir because there are over 200 people, but I know most of them. There is quite a lot of turnover in the large choir, with 40-50 new artists coming every semester. There is less turnover in the orchestras and I know everyone there, as well as in the chamber choir, because there are only 35 people.

What does this help consist of that you offer to young choir and orchestra conductors, and which, as far as I understand, you are ready to offer here in Bulgaria as well?

Yes, for sure. In my ensembles there are many opportunities to rehearse with different works. I also teach conducting as a part-time lecturer at the Berlin University of the Arts. I have students there, some of whom are starting from the very beginning, some of whom are more advanced. When they have a need, I simply give them the opportunity to conduct with us, either as part of a rehearsal or to record a piece they need for an audition or competition. Young colleagues always need such support, which is hard to find unless you have your own ensemble.

Part of your job is judging competitions, from China to Belgium. Is there a difference between judging in China and judging in Europe?

It so happened that in the last six-seven years I have been increasingly invited as a jury member in competitions, which is always very, very exciting for me. Because I have the opportunity to see completely different people from different countries, different repertoires and approaches. It is also very enriching for me as a conductor. I think the contests are generally pretty similar in structure. Both in China and in Belgium, they look at the sound and the intonation, the interpretation, the style and all these indicators. More than anything else it depends on who exactly sits on the jury, because we all have different tastes. You know, music competitions are not like math competitions. They are a bit more subjective. So it depends a lot on the aesthetic of the people who are on a jury. Sometimes our opinions come close to each other, sometimes there are very different opinions. Sometimes there are discussions with colleagues that are also interesting. Sometimes a compromise is found. Sometimes it's much harder...

Why don't you work in Bulgaria, why did you leave?

I left Bulgaria because I wanted to study orchestral conducting. At the Bulgarian National Academy of Music, I studied choral conducting, while orchestral conducting was not possible for women at that time. That was a problem and it made me very sad on the one hand, but on the other hand it motivated me. That was the reason I looked for a place where I could study orchestral conducting, and that's how I ended up in Germany. I was accepted to several educational institutions, and I chose Dusseldorf because of the professor who taught. I thought the person would fit me well, which came true, thank God. 

Basically, at that particular moment, I had no intention of emigrating or going anywhere. It's just that I wasn't allowed here, so to speak, and I went somewhere where I was allowed...

Do you have time for anything other than music?

My world outside of music is pretty colourful, although I'm really very into music. But when I'm not dealing with music, I try to do completely different things. I go to the mountains and to the sea. I fly with a paraglider, I like to climb. I also go for walks with the family, with our dog, with my son, with friends. In general, I try to have something to balance the music. I really like meeting people, talking, having fun. I'm looking for that balance, because sometimes music and work take over...

Does the fact that you are now performing in Sofia mean that Bulgaria is not a closed page professionally?

It is by no means a closed page. Until now, there was simply no such possibility. I am open to projects in Bulgaria. I really enjoy working with colleagues. I don't come too often because most of my projects are somewhere else, but now I have a reason to return to Bulgaria, which is really great for me. I usually come with the German ensembles. On December 14, the next guest appearance is coming with part of our orchestra and part of the big choir.

Finally, is public interest in choral music encouraging, compared to the rest of classical music?

Choral music has a very important role and should occupy more and more space in our lives. By the way, both in Bulgaria and in Germany, the situation is very similar. It is very important how this is done in schools and how children get to this point, to start singing and to even have the idea that choirs exist at all. It takes a lot of work, especially in the early years. Because elite choirs go to schools, hold auditions and recruit singers. However, it is very important that there are not only these elite choirs, but also others that are not so elite and great, but that allow children the possibility to sing. This is an educational policy that is very important for every country, not only for Bulgaria.

You mean school and community choirs?

Yes, mostly school choirs. Because community centre activities are something extra, while everyone goes to school. There should be more options there. Maybe it won't be the highest level in the world, but that doesn't matter. The important thing is that children get a touch of the music. Otherwise, there is no way to continue this tradition.

Donka Miteva studied choral conducting at the National Academy of Music in Sofia and orchestral conducting at the Robert Schumann College of Music in Dusseldorf. She is the recipient of numerous scholarships, including from the Richard Wagner Foundation, the Montepulciano European Academy and the Noel Mine Foundation.

After her studies in Düsseldorf, she was the conductor and choirmaster at the State Opera in Münster from 2007 to 2011. For her artistic achievements, she was awarded a special award by the Society of Friends of Music and Theater in Münster in 2011. Since then, she has been the artistic director and conductor of the Collegium Musikum in Berlin, which consists of over 450 singers and instrumentalists. She has won many awards with the chamber choir and symphony orchestra of the college, including the best choir of Germany in 2023.

Miteva works with many ensembles in Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Portugal, South Africa, Panama and China. In 2013, she won first prize at the International Competition for Young Conductors in St Petersburg and third prize at the Jeunesse Musicales International Conductor Competition in Bucharest. At the International Choir Competition in Varna in 2014, she was awarded as the best conductor, and at the Grand Prix of Nations in Berlin in 2017, she won the prize for Best conducting and Best Interpretation.

She is a member of the World Choir Council and has been a jury member in various national competitions around the world, including in China, Latvia, South Africa, Belgium, Portugal and Germany. She has also been a jury member at prestigious international events such as the World Choir Games and the European Choir Games & Grand Prix of Nations.

In the summer of 2024, she is the conductor of the Eurochor, which will be held in Bulgaria for the first time.