Esma Redzepova-Teodosievska (Macedonian: Esma Redzhepova-Teodosievska Macedonian pronunciation: ['esma re'dZepova teo'dosiefska]; 8 August 1943 - 11 December 2016) was a Macedonian vocalist, songwriter, and humanitarian of Romani ethnicity. Because of her prolific repertoire, which includes hundreds of songs, and because of her contribution to Roma culture and its promotion, she was nicknamed Queen of the Gypsies.
Debut
In 1956, Esma's headteacher suggested she sing at a school talent contest for Radio Skopje. She went there without telling her parents, who did not want her to follow the path of an older sister who started to sing in cafes at 17. Among Roma people, such a career was viewed as shameful for an unmarried girl.  Esma performed A bre babi, a Macedonian Roma traditional song. It was the first time a song in Romani was aired by the station. Esma won the contest, beating 57 other schools and winning 9,000 dinars. When Esma's parents learned about her success, they were extremely upset and reluctant to let her follow a musical career. At that time, the only possible career for Roma singers was to perform in cafes and restaurants with no other prospect.  Stevo Teodosievski, an ethnic Macedonian musician and band frontman, was impressed by Esma's performance at the contest and wanted her to join his musical ensemble. Teodosievski was a self-taught man coming from a poor background, leading a large folk ensemble, the Ansambl Teodosievski. He also worked for Radio Skopje and was a member of the League of Communists of Macedonia.  Being part of the local establishment, Teodosievski was also a visionary because he believed that Roma music could become esteemed and popular among non-Romani people. Indeed, at that time, Roma music in Yugoslavia was depreciated and not considered suitable for radio or television. Furthermore, racism against Roma people was very common in Macedonia and the rest of Yugoslavia and Roma people themselves had a poor image of Roma singers, especially female ones. Before Esma, Roma performers never sang in Romani on radio or television and always hid their origins. Teodosievski had been promoting Roma music even before meeting Redzepova and had faced severe criticism from the media for doing so. He knew however that Esma Redzepova could help him achieve his goal and that she could easily become one of the most prominent artists in the country. He convinced Esma's parents to let her go with him and join his ensemble. They both promised that Esma would only sing on reputable scenes.  When they met in Skopje, Stevo Teodosievski was not fully satisfied with Esma's voice, and encouraged her to train for long hours. He enrolled her at the Academy of Music in Belgrade, where she stayed for two years.

Q: When did Esma make her debut?
A: In 1956, Esma's headteacher suggested she sing at a school talent contest for Radio Skopje.

Q: Did she win the contest?
A: Esma won the contest, beating 57 other schools and winning 9,000 dinars.

Q: How old was she?
A: unknown

Q: What did she do after the contest?
A: Stevo Teodosievski, an ethnic Macedonian musician and band frontman, was impressed by Esma's performance at the contest and wanted her to join his musical ensemble.

Q: Did she join?
A: He convinced Esma's parents to let her go with him and join his ensemble.
Did the ensemble have a name?
Ansambl Teodosievski.
Ansambl Teodosievski.