The River

The River is a project by four improvisers who transcend style and genre to create “momentary” music — honest, direct, and unrepeatable. Each musician steps outside their own musical background, meeting the others in a shared language shaped by how they perceive the world, and the universe beyond it.

At the heart of this dialogue is Christina and her gadulka, an ancient twelve-stringed bowed instrument. Her presence layers time itself, folding the archaic into the modern with every phrase. What emerges is a spatial exploration of sound — music you don’t just hear, but see.

Rossen Zahariev starts to play piano at 7 and trumpet when he is 10. After graduating from the Sofia School of Music in 1990, he is admitted at the Bulgarian State Conservatory, and two years later he moves to the Rotterdam Conservatory, studying jazz performance with Bob Brookmeyer.  From 1995 to 1988 he lives in Boston, attending the Berklee College of Music. He has constantly played with Bob Moses’ band and featured in his last album Nishoma (with Abbey Lincoln, Steve Kuhn, Chris Wood, Jaqcues Schwarz-Bart). At present he is living in Sofia where he plays an instrumental role in building a scene for improvising groups, working with musicians, dancers and actors experimenting with free improvisational techniques.

Hristina Beleva is a Bulgarian musician, artist, performer of the traditional instrument gadulka – invariably accompanying the Bulgarian folklore traditions from ancient times. Hristina’s playing is delicate, sensual, deep. She collaborates with musicians from all over the world. When she plays, she strives to preserve the folklore traditions of Bulgaria and the Balkans. She easily paves the way for the gadulka in other genres in music. When Hristina talks about the gadulka, you will hear one thing: “This is a world instrument and it sounds beautiful!”


Vasil Hajigrudev is one of the more innovative musicians in Bulgaria. Co-founder of Horz Collective, Novi Sad (Serbia). Co-founder of “To Be” Foundation – Фондация “Да бъде”, Sofia (Bulgaria) has a multi-genre output with more than 10 albums as leader or co-leader from Jazz to Rock-Ambient, Folklore and Improvised Music. Bachelor of music Prins Claus Conservatorium, The Netherlands-2014. Master of music NBU, Bulgaria. Former music teacher in EMMDAT, Málaga, Spain.

Stefan Goranov started playing drums at the age of 13. Since then he has been an active member of different groups in various music styles from progressive rock to straight ahead jazz as a drummer and composer. Currently living in Madrid, Spain. Played and toured in the Netherlands, Germany,the USA, Spain, Lithuania, Latvia, Turkey, Tunisia, Greece, Slovenia and Bulgaria.