About

• Drop Down Community

  Drop Down Community is an independent string orchestra comprising exceptionally talented young professional instrumentalists from Bulgaria. United by their profound love for music, this new ensemble is
  aiming to modernise the classical orchestra, thereby fortifying the link between younger audiences and the classical music scene. With innovative approach, Drop Down Community seeks to contribute to the enduring legacy of classical music in the 21st century.

  The ensemble made its debut in early autumn 2019 with a captivating performance at the cave venue “Ledenika,” a highlight of the prestigious “Music in the Cave” Festival. Subsequently, in early 2020, Drop Down Community mesmerized audiences at EXE Club, one of Sofia’s largest venues, presenting an exclusive showcase of original compositions in the concert titled “Prism: Strings of the New 20s.” Collaborating with SAVA and Xonic (Lilo Petrov), the ensemble showcased a unique musical experience.

  During the summer of 2020, Drop Down Community received an invitation to participate in the Mozart Festival in Pravets. In a noteworthy moment, they premiered “Chamber Symphony for String Orchestra,” a composition dedicated to the ensemble by the esteemed Bulgarian composer Rumen Boyadzhiev – junior. In November 2020, DDC held a concert in Bulgaria Hall as part of the “Hope through Music” project, produced by the Sofia Philharmonic. In 2021, the ensemble performed a number of diverse concerts around the country – a guest appearance at the first edition of the “Solinaria Fest” (Sozopol); “Balchick Classic Days”(Balchik); “Mozart Festival” 2021 with guest soloist Liya Petrova, as well as the great privilege to open the “Marin Goleminov Awards” 2021 (Kyustendil). In October they took part in the festival “The Art of Baroque” with guest soloist Simos Papanas, concertmaster of the Thessaloniki Philharmonic.

  At the beginning of 2022, the ensemble recorded the music for some of the songs to Vladimir Ampov’s new album.
  In the spring of 2022, the ensemble took the initiative with the “Star of Hope” Foundation and performed a benefit concert in aid of victims of the war in Ukraine. The concert took place at the City Mark Art Center, Sofia, where they met again on stage with Liya Petrova.
  

  In June 2022, Drop Down Community performed its first concert abroad. The event took place on the island of Samothrace, Greece, as part of the “Thracean Economic Forum 2022”.
  

In December 2022 they participated for the first time in the New Year Music Festival at the National Palace of Culture, where they gave a concert in collaboration with students from NATFA from the specialty “Movement Theatre – Pantomime” under prof. Velimir Velev

  In 2023 Drop Down Community had the pleasure to record with the talented belgian composer Arthur Brouns on his music for the contemporary theatre “Blood Wedding” which premiered in April at the National Theatre for Contemporary Arts in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.



  At the beginning of the summer Drop Down Community took part in the festival “The Park”, where on an open stage they again presented their ecological project “5 Elements”.

• "5 Elements"

  “Five Elements” is Drop Down Community’s latest innovative project addressing global environmental issues. Recognized as the Five Elements are: Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Plastic, which are in an inextricable cycle that humanity is leads to a destructive direction. The daily struggle in the personal lives of the young musicians of Drop Down Community to reduce their use of plastic and their intransigence towards the destruction of nature provoked this project. Through the power of art, the talented artists expressed a stance inspiring the creation of a society that values vital resources. As part of the project, the successful film composer Ivo Paunov created the music for the Five Elements suite, for which five videos were filmed, presenting real environmental issues to alert society. The visual design of the project is the work of the established director Vasil Karkelanov. After the successful premiere on 14.11.2021 at the Bulgaria Hall, the videos for the project have been uploaded to the orchestra’s social media channels on Youtube, Facebook and Instagram, while the eponymous album, which is also the debut for the ensemble, is available on Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, Deezer and other digital platforms. 

The project would not have been possible without the financial support of the Ministry of Culture’s Music Programme and the National Culture Fund’s Socially Engaged Arts Programme.