In 2023 Nubras won the Culture Moves Europe grant, allowing us to undertake an artistic residency in Bulgaria and record our debut album: Bulgarian Routes.

In this project, Nubras expands its ensemble, featuring the collaboration with Luca Cioffi on percussion (cajon, darbuka and frame drums) and three extraordinary Bulgarian musicians: Borislav Galabov, singer, composer and gadulka player in the Bulgarian National Radio Folk Orchestra; Diyana Vasileva, voice of the renowned Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices choir, and Kiril Belezhkov, professor of kaval flute and composer. Read their bios.

The project was performed live at the prestigious program La Stanza della Musica on RAI RADIO TRE, the Italian National Radio, at the H/Earthbeat Festival in Florence, and at Sala Biavati in Rome, showcasing its dynamic international appeal.

The tracks were recorded by Todor Chorbov in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in November 2023. The editing and mastering of the songs were taken care of by Matteo Vagnarelli and his Ultrasuoni Servizi Musicali. The artwork was created by artist Guendalina Salini with graphic support from the amazing illustrator Federica Di Carlo.

Special thanks to the Culture Moves Europe program of the European Union for contributing to the realization of this album by supporting Nubras’ journey to Bulgaria. Thanks also to Nicolas Hauzeur, who took us to Chiprovtsi, a small village in northwest Bulgaria, and introduced us to these incredible musicians. Thanks to slovenian violinists Barja Drnovšek and Bojan Cvetrežnik and to all musicians who are working with great seriousness to study, teach, and transform through their history and sensitivity the enormous wealth of traditional musical languages, often considered of lesser importance compared to ‘classical’ Western music. Thanks to all our families and friends that suported us in this journey.