The 2008 Songs of Life International Choral Festival

The premier Songs of Life International Choral Festival took place in Plovdiv and Sofia, Bulgaria and Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Israel Nov. 21 through Dec. 1, 2008.

A commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the rescue of all Bulgarian Jews during the Holocaust, the festival drew thousands of participants including ambassadors from Israel, Estonia, Hungary, Austria and Cameron as well as the Cultural Attaché of Switzerland and representatives from the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture.

The Festival captured the hearts of all in attendance as well as the attention of national media in Bulgaria and Israel and the King of Bulgaria, King Simeon III (son of King Boris II who was king of Bulgaria during the Holocaust and a key player in protecting the Bulgarian Jews).

The Festival centered around Ernest Bloch’s choral-orchestral masterpiece, “Sacred Service,” conducted by Maestro Dian Tchobanov and presented by Cantor Beny Maissner of Canada, Cantor Erik Contzius of the U.S., the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Bulgaria, the Varna Representative City Chorus of Bulgaria, the Tel Aviv Chamber Choir of Israel, the “Kolenu” Jewish Community Choir of the U.S. and other singers from across the United States.

The organizers of the festival, Kalin and Sharon Tchonev, gave hundreds of Jews and Christians the opportunity to give back to the people of Bulgaria through a simple act of kindness: the giving of flowers. Participants handed out 49,000 blooms to Bulgarian citizens to express their gratitude for the protection of the Jews during the Holocaust.