Samodiva: Soundcheck is a curated music platform developed by Metaart Foundation in collaboration with Toplocentrala Regional Centre for Contemporary Arts and Samodiva – Independent Music Community, with the support of the Ministry of Culture. The project focuses on presenting a new generation of Bulgarian independent musicians through a highly distilled and immersive live format.
At the core of the concept lies a simple structure: one artist, one song, one event. Each participant presents an original composition live for the first time, within a carefully constructed environment that combines elements of concert, visual performance, and staged intimacy. The events take place at the bar stage of Toplocentrala in Sofia, with a deliberately limited audience capacity of 25–30 people, enhancing the sense of immediacy and exclusivity.
Developed as a series of камерни (chamber) performances, the project unfolds across multiple editions, each conceived as a self-contained fragment-brief, intense, and scenographically distinct. The emphasis is placed not only on sound, but on atmosphere, presence, and the relationship between performer and audience.
A defining element of Samodiva: Fragment is its intergenerational dialogue format. Each artist participates in a recorded conversation with a person aged 65+, reversing traditional roles as the older participant leads the interview. These exchanges move between personal memory, everyday observations, and reflections on artistic expression, creating an additional narrative layer that connects contemporary music with cultural continuity and lived experience.
The project culminates in a collective presentation of the featured artists within the opening program of Toplofest 2026, extending the life of the individual fragments into a shared public moment.
Beyond its live dimension, Samodiva: Fragment exists equally as a digital series. Each performance and interview is documented, edited, and released online, allowing the project to reach wider audiences while preserving the intimacy of its original format.
Through this initiative, Metaart Foundation supports the visibility and professional development of emerging artists, while establishing a sustainable platform that bridges live experience, digital distribution, and cultural dialogue within the contemporary Bulgarian music scene.
