Wouldn't it be nice if savvy people could meet in chic, casual venues and experience the taste and tradition of other cultures?

Professionals in the City, a Washington, DC-based organisation with more than 100 000 members, hosts a myriad of social events, from sunset kayaking to Carnaval 2008 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

On July 27, Pros in the City hosted "An Exciting Evening at the Embassy of Bulgaria" in the American capital at the embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria. Guests were welcomed by embassy staff and ushered into a sizable room decorated with Bulgarian artefacts, where a buffet-style dinner of ethnic cuisine enticed attendees.

No, not Bolivia
The meal included shopska salata, snejanka salata (Bulgarian tzatzaki), spring salad, stuffed mushrooms, Bourgas-style mussels from the Black Sea, shrimp, an assortment of cheeses (Brie, blue, Gouda and mellow goat cheese) and lyutenitsa (a traditional Bulgarian chutney of cooked tomatoes and peppers), Balkan salmon, chicken kavarma from Thrace, Radomir-style grilled pork and stewed vegetables.

To introduce and acquaint guests with the climate, history, culture and traditions of Bulgaria, the embassy presented a documentary about Bulgaria, and Dimitar Mihaylov, first secretary for political and cultural affairs, prepared a brochure describing the location, population, history, politics and religion of Bulgaria. Included in the brochure were landmarks such as Sofia's Narodno Subranie Square, Rila Monastery, Melnik's sandstone mountains, and Veliko Turnovo and the Tsarevets fortress.

Spicing up the night
Lyuti Chushki, a traditional Bulgarian folk band, was the highlight of the evening. Lyuti Chushki in the Bulgarian language means "Hot Peppers", which well described the zesty tunes played by this band.

A five-member group consisting of Bulgarian and American musicians, Lyuti Chushki began playing together in 1997.

Vocalist Tzvety Weiner is a native Bulgarian who grew up in Plovdiv surrounded by a family immersed in Bulgarian folk music. Tzvety, however, only recently began singing traditional Bulgarian folk music, in 1998 during her studies in computer science at the University of Maryland at College Park.

Kaval player Valeri Georgiev of Nikopol, northern Bulgaria, attended the Philip Koutev Folk High School of Music in Kotel, where he studied Bulgarian folklore and played the kaval (end-blown flute).

Len Newman of Silver Spring, Maryland, is an expert tamboura player. He also plays many other stringed instruments from Greece (laouto and bouzouki), Serbo and Croatia (tamburica), and Macedonia (tambura). Len developed an interest in Bulgarian traditional music and dance as a student.

Varol Saatcioglu plays the gaida (bagpipe) for Lyuti Chushki. Varol is from Edirne, Turkey, where he started at the Municipal Conservatory of Istanbul at the tender age of five. There, he studied music theory and piano. Varol's mother was also a piano, music and folkdance teacher.

Larry Weiner, the manager of Lyuti Chushki and Tzvety's husband, plays the tupan (large drum) and the tarabuka (small hand drum). Larry's skill and love of playing Balkan traditional music spans 30 years. He has taught several Balkan dance workshops and music camps throughout the United States.

Together, Lyuti Chushki induced a lively sensation, with band members playing music from various Bulgarian regions. The southern Bulgaria music was very calming and relaxing, while the music of western Bulgaria had a energetic, upbeat tempo. Northern Bulgaria's music was cheerful, yet mellow.

Horo!
It wasn't long before guests were locking arms, forming a circle and taking part in Balkan dancing, to the tune of Lyuti Chushki's music.

In a conversation with Mihaylov after the event, I learned that it was his hope to bring people of diverse backgrounds together through the experience of Bulgarian music and culture.

By working together, Mihaylov and Pros in the City created an exciting and memorable evening at the embassy of Bulgaria.

Pervenia P Brown is a freelance writer in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. She is a graduate of University of Maryland at College Park, where she earned a bachelor of arts in history. Brown has written articles for HELM (an Ethiopian fashion magazine) and Washington Woman.