By Iva Taralezhkova | Board Chair, Devetaki Plateau Association
The 12th edition of Jazz Under the Stars of the Devetaki Plateau that was held from 26 to 28 June 2026 blended world-class music with rural development.
For most of the year, the villages in the Devetaki Plateau listen only to the songs of the birds, the rustle of trees, and the quiet rhythms of Bulgarian rural life. But for three days in the last weekend of June, our peaceful area transformed into an open-air stage of sound, welcoming the 12th edition of the festival, resembling finishing a 12-year high school learning.
Here is how the magic unfolded, transforming a rural landscape into a living, breathing musical and economic ecosystem.
Friday's Homecoming
The festival breathed its first notes on Friday evening not with modern brass, but with the voices of the land. Elderly folk singers from the nearby village of Gorsko Slivovo stepped onto the stage. As their traditional harmonies melted into some unexpected jazz chords with the support of trumpet players, the past met the present.
The evening approached with the Portela & Terziev Quintet. The young musicians took the crowd on an avant-garde journey with the deep, woody tones of Alejandro Portela’s bass clarinet “talking” with the tenor vocal of Petar Terziev. As darkness fell, with the stage glowing beneath the stars, the legendary Acoustic Version trio – Antoni Donchev (piano), Hristo Yotsov (drums), and Kalina Andreeva (double bass) delivered a masterful performance and reminded everyone why they are considered Bulgarian jazz royalty.
Saturday's Rhythms, Rivers And Echoes
Saturday began with the interactive pulse of a Rhythm Workshop led by legendary drummer Hristo Yotsov, where fans and musicians alike clapped out jazz beats in Karpachevo’s historic Old mill.
By sunset, the music moved out into nature. Back on the green of the former schoolyard, the stage welcomed the, cross-cultural performance of Swedish pianist Joel Lyssarides and Greek bouzouki virtuoso Georgios Prokopiou. Their music was telling stories and linking geographies under the purple Bulgarian sky. After thisr mesmerizing performance, the audience jumped into the big-band energy of passionate young talents from the Sofia Jazz Collective who took the stage for the grand finale.
Both evenings’ concerts evolved into dynamic jam – sessions offering surprising formats and styles late under the stars of the Devetaki Plateau.
Sunday's Farewell
The final day felt like a warm conversation among friends. It began with an intimate morning "coffee talk" where artists, local residents and tourists discussed how music and art in general can save dying villages. Then the concert Jazz for Kids with trumpet player and format leader Ventsy Blagoev had generations—from local grandmothers to city teenagers— singing and dancing together on stage or on the grass, closing the weekend in a burst of collective joy.
This was all possible thanks to your understanding, empathy, and kind contribution, dear friends! Thank you and stay with us! After high school, we definitely continue our studies!
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By Iva Taralezhkova | Board Chair, Devetaki Plateau Association
By Iva Taralezhkova | Board Chair, Devetaki Plateau Association
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