Balgarianovinite.com Bulgarian violinist, singer, and actress Emanuela Kalcheva – Djaima delivered a captivating interpretation of the Bulgarian folk dance Gankino Horo at the traditional concert marking International Jazz Day on April 30, organized by the Jazz Society of Egypt.
“Jazz is an eclectic genre with many different currents. My jazz is a fusion with traditional music, whether Bulgarian or Romani. I always like to do something different, to enrich or leave my own musical imprint on something that already exists,” Djaima told BTA.
She said that she had long dreamed of performing Gankino Horo, which is particularly challenging because of its complex rhythm.
“On the night of the concert, I remembered my father,” the artist said. “I was still a child, studying at the music school, when he told me: if you want to become known around the world, learn to play Bulgarian music. Back then, I didn’t agree with him. But when I performed this piece, when I stepped onto the stage so many years later, I told myself: my father was right, I just needed more maturity to understand it.”
On stage, Djaima performed alongside the founder of the Jazz Society of Egypt and the Cairo Jazz Festival, pianist and composer Amro Salah, who has a deep connection to Bulgaria, as well as Andre Segone on bass guitar and Fady Tawab Louis on drums. The collaboration was both inspiring and fun for the Egypt-based musicians as well, she noted.
The packed hall of Arkan Teatre in Cairo responded to Djaima’s Gankino Horo with thunderous applause. She herself only realized how well it had been received after watching video recordings of the performance later.
“When I’m on stage, I don’t think about how the audience will respond. I focus on being as open as possible, so I can react to everything happening musically in the moment. Jazz involves a lot of improvisation, but at the same time there are very precise elements that must happen. The performance was a blend of mathematical precision, because 11/8 is a very difficult rhythm, and improvisation,” the Bulgarian musician explained.
Emanuela Kalcheva-Djaima graduated from the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia before moving to France. After nearly 30 years in Paris, she relocated to Cairo during the pandemic to teach music at an international school. One of her latest projects is the trio Sacree Femmes, in which she collaborates with American cellist Kira Weiss and Egyptian musician Safa El-Helaly, who plays the traditional instrument rababa (spike fiddle). Bulgarian Artist Djaima Captivates Cairo with Gankino Horo on International Jazz Day 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-05-02 19:10:35 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law