E ver since I heard the haunting voices of the Bulgarian female choirs in the 80's and 90's I wanted to come here and explore the song-paths of this country. And now when I am here I am astonished how well the story of this country is conveyed by its music; the beauty of the mountains, the pain of its history, the longing of its spirituality... all was there in the music, and all is now here to be discovered tangibly on my first visit. I am in the best of companies; hosted in Plovdiv, the European Cultural Capital of 2019, by a group of really dedicated hosts who are eager to share the treasures that are hiding underneath the surface. As with the magnificent Roman theatre here, which was rediscovered, unearthed and restored only late in the 20th century, so are we, together with our hosts, rediscovering the rich cultural treasures of this in many ways forgotten corner of Europe. And what a beautiful group to explore it with: In our network "Co-creating Europe" a