The Bulgarian Choral Union will present its choir awards on 14 November at an anniversary concert in Bulgaria Hall in Sofia. The union marks 100 years since its founding, its chair Elena Shopova told BTA.

Shopova conducts the Orpheus children's choir at the Youth Centre in Haskovo and the Orpheus+ chamber ensemble. She said the awards come in several categories and honour the achievements of choirs, conductors and partners of the union.

The Camertone award returns in two forms. Groups that won prizes in competitions the previous year will get a gold, silver or bronze camertone. Groups marking an anniversary will get a camertone of the first, second or third degree.

The union's plaque is for conductors who helped develop choral art. A separate award goes to benefactors and partners who have supported the union's work and projects.

The concert "100 Years of the Bulgarian Choral Union" starts at 7pm in the main hall and is the high point of the programme. Eight groups from Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas will take part: the children's choirs Milka Stoeva, Dobri Hristov and Detska Kitka, the youth choir Iris, the women's choir Trimontium, a jazz-folk group from the New Bulgarian University, the choir Ave Musica and the Angel Manolov academic choir from the National Student House.

The choirs and the orchestra of the Sofia Youth Philharmonic at the National School of Music will perform the final song together. Shopova said composer Slavil Dimitrov wrote it especially for the anniversary.

At 11am, a commemorative stamp, "100 Years of the Bulgarian Choral Union", will be issued at the Lyubomir Pipkov National School of Music. Artist Yoana Milova designed it.

At 5.30pm, the exhibition "100 Years Together in Song" opens in the Marble Foyer gallery of Bulgaria Hall. Photos of performances, rehearsals, festivals and projects by the choirs trace the union's history from its founding to today.

The Ministry of Culture has added the anniversary events to the national culture calendar and supports them financially.