Nikola Ganchev is one of the most celebrated kaval players of the 20th century. His lifetime fairly spans that century - from 1919-2001. Those who knew him personally, attest to his love for history - at his joy of reliving his talks with those who knew Hristo Botev personally, or recalling the week-long village weddings in Bulgaria before the 1950's. But more remarkable than anything was his passion for the kaval. This passion carried with it much, much more than that of a solitary man, and much, much more than interest in a single instrument. Somehow, bai Kolyo's love for the kaval contained too his love for the collective history of the Bulgarian people, as it was passed down through the oral tradition of folk singing throughout the centuries. As reported over and over again (from listeners all over the world), the very sounds of his kaval transported the hearts and minds of the listener into the past - to the sounds of past mourning or joy - even (remarkably) evoking the particular forms of the Bulgarian land. When he passed away, many people grieved for his legacy - for bai Kolyo was one of those exceptional individuals who carried in him a much larger picture of life. Indeed, his music embodied this greater vision.

A brief biography

Nikola Ganchev was born in 1919 in the village of Shishmantsi, near Plovdiv, but at an early age moved with his family to Rudnik, near Burgas. His mother was an avid folk singer, knowing (as bai Kolyo recalled) "more than 200 songs, her favorites being the slow songs about 'haiduti' (freedom fighters)" and his uncle Vassil was the kaval player who first inspired him to play. He had his first kaval at the age of seven. By the age of 16, he was already recognized as having unusual talent and was invited to make his first recording on the radio.

By 1936, he was a regular performer for Radio Sofia, playing with some of the best instrumentalists and vocalists of his day. At this time, he also founded his first folk group, including Nedka Toneva, the only woman in his time to play the kaval, having studied under his guidance. The high point of his career came in 1951 with the founding of the National Ensemble for Folk Songs and Dances under the guidance of Phillip Koutev. Bai Kolyo was invited to be the lead kaval soloist and became Phillip Koutev's right hand man for the next 40 years. During this time, he was the accompianist for virtuoso singers like Vulkana Stoyanova, Nadka Karadzhova, Komniya Stoyanova, Boika Prisadova, and Yanka Taneva. He travelled extensively, translated this experience into music, and became an expert on folklore in Bulgaria. His body of work includes pieces from all the folk regions in Bulgaria and incorporates diligently the wide variety of local folk tradition.

Bai Kolyo also proved himself an inexhaustibly generous teacher - bringing his knowledge to whole generations of kaval players. His great fatherly care for the Music School in Kotel continued up to his last days, as did his work with kaval students at home.