Totnes Bulgarian Folk Choir

Totnes Bulgarian Folk Choir Directed by Mae Karthauser, formed 2024 Come and relish close beating harmonies, beautiful scales, intricate ornamentation and irregular dance rhythms.

We are a Totnes choir that draw uniquely on traditional Bulgarian folk repertoire, and we are passionate about preserving detail to create beautiful arrangements that both promote and honour this precious tradition. The Totnes Bulgarian Folk Choir was formed in September 2024 by Mae Karthauser in homage to the extraordinary yet disappearing vocal folk traditions of Bulgaria. We are built on a shar

ed passion for this profound music and a deep desire to create something of beauty and real quality together. We get together every Monday night during term time from 6:30pm - 8pm and learn beautiful folk songs from across Bulgaria as well as warm ups, ornaments and some vocal technique. In enjoying and singing this music we hope to connect new ears with a precious culture so more can discover its extraordinary native choirs and vocal masters. After another joyful term we will be opening our doors to a limited number of new singers on Monday 21st April at Totnes United Free Church. We welcome enthusiastic and committed singers who are confident at tuning and motivated to learn unusual and challenging harmonies. You don’t have to be a music reader to join us, nor to have previous experience with Bulgarian singing but you do have to be curious and keen (and preferably have a sense of humour)! There is no audition required, but beginners and those with less choral experience are invited to join for a six week trial period to see if the choir is a good fit. If you are in any doubt of your abilities but you feel the call - please come along and give it a go anyway. You may surprise yourself...


This is a subscription only choir (not drop-in / ad hoc). The one-off open session on 21st April is £8 on the day. From then on, new singers are invited to sign up for either a half term or full term commitment with payment in advance (subscriptions work out at £8 per session). If you are ready to register for the open session, or have any questions please reach out via email ([email protected]) or via the contact form on the website (www.maekarthauser.co.uk/bulgarianfolk)

20/05/2026

Have you got your tickets for this exciting Bulgarian community event this Saturday at Totnes leisure centre..?

Come at 12pm for a singing workshop with the brilliant Megi Angelova, a short song sharing by the Totnes Bulgarian Folk Choir, a lively performance by the Dragostina balkan band and also and most excitingly traditional dances by the Dance Club ‘Pendari’, Exeter / Танцов Клуб “Пендари”, гр. Екситър from Exeter.

It should be sunny … there will be children running around and the doors will be open to spill outdoors … bring food to share and your most colourful Bulgarian colours! Come along!

We would love to see you!

We unexpectedly have a space for a new member to join us this term! Our 10 week term starts TONIGHT, running Monday even...
27/04/2026

We unexpectedly have a space for a new member to join us this term! Our 10 week term starts TONIGHT, running Monday evenings through to July where we have a big end of term social celebration. Email: [email protected] if you want to join the magic ✨

14/04/2026

Oh my! It's been a magical few months for our blossoming community. Being welcomed and joining forces with Dance Club 'Pendari' and the Bulgarian Society of Devon back in February has created a momentum and excitement between us that is difficult to express!

So much more to share! But for now, enjoy this lovely video!

Limited spaces for new singers this term! Do you have a love affair with this beautiful ancient repertoire; its crunchy ...
14/04/2026

Limited spaces for new singers this term!

Do you have a love affair with this beautiful ancient repertoire; its crunchy harmonies, irregular rhythms and timeless heartbeat… and a desire to co-create something extraordinary?

Come join us for the summer term … rounded up with an immersive day long Bulgarian celebration in July.
With limited space and a high subscription we are not currently hosting taster sessions: we invite our new singers to simply jump in with us for the 10 week term.

There’s a lot of laughter and play in our rehearsals, and yet we also strive to make something really extraordinary together. Each term we raise our level … and the fun ✨

EMAIL: [email protected]

We wrapped up the spring term with a beautiful filming project with the help of Arwen Stickland and Bee Addicott. Just h...
14/04/2026

We wrapped up the spring term with a beautiful filming project with the help of Arwen Stickland and Bee Addicott. Just heard the recordings... video coming soon. Watch this space!

09/12/2025

Singing with others can be more beneficial than singing solo. Here’s why: https://bbc.in/4opYGEQ

ONE WEEK TO GO!Come and join us for our first Winter Concert at Totnes United Free Church at 7:30pm on Monday 15th Decem...
08/12/2025

ONE WEEK TO GO!

Come and join us for our first Winter Concert at Totnes United Free Church at 7:30pm on Monday 15th December.
We have been working hard since September on some really exciting new pieces which we will be performing for the first time in December, alongside some of our previous performed arrangements.
Expect yips and yodels, delicious crunchy harmonies, satisfying irregular dance rhythms and a sea of passionate smiling faces. We were stunned by the turn out to our very first concert back in July and are really excited to have the chance to share these amazing songs with you.
We hope you will join us!
TICKET LINK:

Mon 15th Dec 2025, 1:30pm – 3pm CST (UTC -06:00)

Winter Concert - 15th December 2025
10/11/2025

Winter Concert - 15th December 2025

04/09/2025

MEMBERSHIP IS NOW
ALMOST FULL FOR THE AUTUMN TERM

NEWS FLASH! Before we've even had our open session, membership for this term is already almost full.For those who were p...
04/09/2025

NEWS FLASH! Before we've even had our open session, membership for this term is already almost full.

For those who were planning to come on Monday, REGISTRATION IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL.
Please send an email to [email protected] to make sure there is a space for you.

Address

Totnes United Free Church
Totnes
TQ95RU

Opening Hours

Monday 6:30pm - 8pm

Website

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