Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankoulov

Biography

Elitsa Todorova is a Bulgarian folk singer, percussionist, music producer and inventor. She was born in Varna. As a child, he spent 7 years with her parents in Africa. She graduated from the Dobri Hristov Music School in Varna with a degree in Percussion, and then from the Philip Koutev Music School in Kotel, with a degree in folk singing. She graduated from the State Music Academy in Sofia, majoring in percussion. She is a soloist of the Varna Ensemble and the Cosmic Voices of Bulgaria Choir.  In 2003, together with her partner Stoyan Yankoulov, she was considered one of the most innovative Bulgarian percussionists. They launched the Drumboy project.

Among the instruments she plays are the tarambuka, a set of drums, maracas, harpsichords, pendari, shepherd’s bells, flags, lastra, guiro. Todorova uses traditional percussion instruments in an unconventional way, mixing authentic folklore with jazz, drum and bass, classical and ethno music with a lot of improvisation. In 2005 she received the Zlaten Fenomen Award for outstanding achievements in the field of singing and instrumental art and the presentation of Bulgarian culture around the world. In February 2007, Elitsa Todorova and Stoyan Yankulov won the right to represent Bulgaria at Eurovision 2007 with their song “Water”. They became 5th.

In 2008 the team of BNT and Lili Ivanova invited Elitsa and Stoyan to make their song “Panairi” in a new version with the folk voice of Elitsa, bagpipes and percussion instruments.

Elitsa Todorova and Stoyan Yankulov
In 2009 they created the comic “Stikhiya” together with the artist Daniel Atanasov, dedicated to the elements water, earth, fire, wind. Its premiere is with concerts in Tokyo, Japan, accompanied by an environmental campaign “Keep the Earth clean”!

There are 40 countries in which she gives concerts with her team and presents Bulgarian folklore and culture. Together with Stoyan Yankulov they performed shows in front of Princess Victoria, the King and Queen of Sweden, Pope John Paul 2, Prince Albert II, the Presidents of all Balkan countries, Dmitry Medvedev, Todor Zhivkov.

On May 24, 2011 at the UN headquarters, the singer joined a joint concert with soloists from all Slavic countries.

From 2013 to 2017 she participated in a trio consisting of Elitsa Todorova (voice and percussion), Martin and Kristian Pishtolski (drums and voice) on tours in Bulgaria and Europe.

In 2017, Elitsa sang and played with 101 kaba bagpipes at the first international festival Devin and the monument “Kambanite”.

In 2018 he started writing her illustrated biography.