Nino Ninov

Nino Ninov succeeded Lyuba Lipova as head of the Culture department and at the end of 1962, at Marin Chonev's request, took on the leadership of the choir as a personal mission. He was chairman for almost 15 years; the hardest part was finding money for tours and competitions, yet he never once failed.

He travelled with the singers to Gorizia in 1972 and remembered how the chairman of the jury silently showed him a six on his fingers before the results were out; he also led the group in Cork in 1976. The choir parted from him with gratitude on 31 March 1977 and later celebrated his 50th and 60th birthdays.

From Stoyan Boychev's book (2006), pp. 273, 4–7, 94–102, 112–118, 134–140.