Instructor: Dr. Matt Caine is the Director of Traditional Music at St. John's Methodist Church, Aiken. Both a Fulbright Scholar and a Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellow in Bulgarian Language and Culture of the United States Department of Education, his research is frequently cited by scholars in the US and Bulgaria. Description: In 1987, the album Le Mystére des Voix Bulgares, an album of choral arrangements of Bulgarian folksongs, was released in the United States to critical acclaim. The second album won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album. This music has influenced Robert Plant and Bobby McFerrin and has been used in films and in television series such as Xena: Warrior Princess. However, audiences in the United States in 2025 are largely unfamiliar with the vast wealth of Bulgarian folk music, art music, and sacred music. Course participants will be introduced to a wide range of this beautiful music.