Medena Ensemble’s Bulgarian Journey
1 Oct 2025
In August, eight singers from Auckland’s Medena Ensemble, led by Tui Mamaki, embarked on a remarkable musical pilgrimage to Bulgaria—the homeland of the traditional repertoire they’ve passionately cultivated in Aotearoa.
The group’s main aim was to lend their voices to the celebration of a film on Bulgarian women’s song, and to perform at the Koprivshtitsa Folklore Festival. Along the way they studied with phenomenal vocalists and gathered ancient repertoire, new techniques and inspiration.
Medena’s late-night performance took place in near darkness, after the ‘nestinarki’ (ritual fire-walkers) had taken the square. Coming off stage, the ensemble was greeted with high praise from Bulgarian ensemble leaders who were astonished by Medena's authenticity. “Are any of you Bulgarian?” they asked. “How is it possible that you sing like this?”
Beyond the festival, the ensemble participated in a cultural tour led by Vlada Tomova of Yasna Voices, which took them deep into the Rodopi Mountains, where they engaged with local traditions and enjoyed intimate exchanges with village ensembles, spontaneous singing in churches, and collaborative improvisations with other travelling ensembles. One treasured moment saw Medena members singing a complex song from the village of Bistritsa to the Babi elders who had originally preserved it.
Prior to the cultural tour, the Medena Ensemble took part in workshops around Sofia and Plovdiv with a series of renowned Bulgarian vocalists. These sessions deepened the ensemble’s understanding of regional styles, ornamentation, and vocal techniques.
Back in New Zealand, director Tui Mamaki is transcribing field recordings and choosing new repertoire for the Medena Ensemble’s future performances.
Tui and the Medena Ensemble are offering a series of workshops throughout October and November. These are all standalone workshops and are open to singers outside the ensemble.
NB: singers require some folklore vocal experience, or an individual introduction session to cover the basics of voice production ahead of the ensemble workshop.
If you are interested in experiencing some of this vocal work, contact Tui Mamaki at tuimamaki@gmail.com / 021 155 55 82 or visit https://tuimamaki.com/upcoming-events/
You can read more about the Medena Ensemble’s tour on Tui’s blog: https://tuimamaki.com/author/tuimamaki/
MEDENA ENSEMBLE 2025 SPRINGTIME SERIES - OPEN WORKSHOPS
4 October : NEDELINO village
Potent diphonic mountain song, learned with Aneta Emilova
5 October : BISTRITSA village
Driving diphonic trance-lore, learned with Dina Koleva
1 November: PLEVEN region
Swift ornamented 7 rhythm, for trio, learned with Gergana Dimitrova
2 November : PIRIN region
Beautiful slow 7 rhythm, for trio, learned with Gergana Dimitrova
29 November: RODOPI mountains
Uplifting frolic song, for trio, learned with Elichka Krastanova
30 November: RODOPI mountains
Languorous ornamented solo, learned with Elichka Krastanova
