Daughters of Orpheus
Medena Ensemble pay tribute to traditional Bulgarian folk songs
“Orpheus was said to make music so beautiful that stones would roll, and trees would uproot, to be able to follow him and listen... “
Artwork - Tui Mamaki
The threads of song are sometimes the only thing that seems to last
As if, in their ephemeral nature, they conquer death itself
It is the breath that carries the life force
It is the breath that releases it to the world
The song lines belong to the before and the after
Beyond a single body, beyond a single mind -
As we exhale through song, the trees breathe it in
And in turn, their oxygen sustains the song lines
Of another generation, in fact we breathe the breath
Of our ancestors, in concentric circles of surrender
The Daughter of Orpheus have spilled out of the borders
And all around this earth, women sing Bulgarian Folklore
Medena Ensemble, whom I have been leading, and now fold into have been invited to collaborate in Bulgaria itself, this August.
What a great journey to keep the fires burning for !
Tui Mamaki
Photo credit - Trevor Villers, Auckland Folk Festival 2025
Who are Medena Ensemble?
Be it through classic Bulgarian folklore choir arrangements or obscure rural treasure songs issue of Tui Mamaki’s love affair with Bulgaria and its phenomenal voices, Medena Ensemble explore that compelling vocal tone, bewitchingly close harmony, playful odd-meter rhythms and the colourful feminine fabric of a community blend. Medena means “honeyed”!
photo credit Sabine Mignau - Auckland Folk festival 2025
Orpheus was said to make music so beautiful that stones would roll, and trees would uproot, to be able to follow him and listen...
All the women who carry folklore song threads in Bulgaria are deemed to be “The Daughters of Orpheus”.
A joy to sing for the dancers in the Unitary Church, Ponsonby 2023
Following success at the World Choir Games in Auckland last year, Medena Ensemble present their new collection of exquisite acapella offerings - carrying song threads from afar, with a longstanding passion for, and dedication to, the craft.
This song cycle is specially prepared for Medena Ensemble’s upcoming collaboration with the long standing New York based Bulgarian folk choir, Yasna Voices, at the renowned Koprivshtitsa Festival, in Bulgaria this August.
During their time in Bulgaria, the singers will also engage in some specialised vocal study with masters in the music including, the Bistrishkite Babi, Iliyana Naydenova, Svetla Stanilova, Hadjievi Sestri, Neli Andreeva, Radka Aleksova, Gergana Dimitrova and more.
The Medenki invite you to celebrate and support their inaugural journey to the source of this enchanted mahi!
Attending this concert is one way of doing that.
Another is to contribute to the givealittle
www.tuimamaki.com/medena-ensemble www.youtube.com/@MedenaEnsemble
Photo credit - Trevor Villers, Auckland Folk Festival 2025