Kat Kinnick
Location: Santa Fe, N.M.
Occupation: I work at an art gallery and also teach art to preschoolers once a week
Connection to Balkan music/dance: I’m a member of Sevda Choir. We’re a group of about 14 people and meet every Sunday from 4 to 6. We’ve had several concerts since our group formed about three years ago and mostly perform at the San Miguel Mission in Santa Fe.
Number of times at Balkan camp: This was my second year!
Studied at camp: Serbian singing with Svetlana Spajić and Albanian singing with Merita Halili.
Memorable moment at camp: One scene or experience?! There are so many! Possibly my favorite was after our Serbian singing class performed, a few people came up to me and said, “Wow, I had never heard you sing before. You sounded great!” I felt so grateful that this time around at camp, I became more a part of the creative community and my singing was heard and seen by others who loved it!
There were moments in Svetlana’s class which still stick with me. One time she stopped me mid-singing, and told me to move around the space to become more comfortable, take a few seconds if I need it, look at a fellow singer in the choir for information (aka Bluetooth transmission as she would call it, we had just learned the songs and weren’t using notation), and then trust that I knew what to sing and do it! It was a powerful experience. One of the takeaways was realizing that the most important thing for a voice to come across as authentic, is to be grounded, connected to the place and especially connected to the other people you are singing with, and singing for.
I LOVED camp. There were so many wonderful, creative and supportive people.
William (Billy) Giaquinto
Location: Santa Fe, N.M.
Occupation: I work as a general music teacher for grades K-6 as well as a freelance trumpet player and vocalist.
Connection to Balkan music/dance: I currently perform with the Sevda Choir run by Willa Roberts. I also have recently started a Balkan brass band in Santa Fe with Char Rothschild.
Number of times at Balkan camp: This was my second year coming to camp.
Studied at camp: My main focus at dance was trumpet playing in the brass band and studying with Nizo Alimov.
William (Billy) Giaquinto
Memorable moment at camp: This year I had learned enough material to be able to play a bit in the kafana for a large brass band jam. It was an incredible experience to take what I had been working on throughout the year since my first camp experience and apply it to collective music making. The feedback was positive and I felt embraced by my new family. I was encouraged and elated. This was the night that I felt as if I had solidified my newfound relationship to the music and the wonderful brass musicians in the EEFC community. Because of these new deep connections forged by the experience, I am already planning and looking forward to next year’s camp.
Nathan Bernacki with Ivan Varimezov
Location: Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.
Occupation: I am a student at the American University in Bulgaria. I came here because I want to learn Bulgarian music. Outside of school I am studying with some players from the Pirin Ensemble. I also have a teacher in Sofia at the National Folk Ensemble.
Connection to Balkan music/dance during the year: There are not too many music-related events in Blagoevgrad. I go see the Pirin Ensemble when they perform and have been to a few mehanas [taverns with folk decorations and sometimes folk music]. It’s not like Balkan camp where there are parties with folk music every day. In Plovdiv things are little more musically active, but it is four hours away by bus. I have been to a few events in Plovdiv and Sofia.
Number of times at Balkan camp: Five years.
Studied at camp: Gudulka. I didn’t go to the gudulka classes because the teacher there was using the same materials that my teacher developed, so I asked him for private lessons in his free time. We did that every day.
Memorable moment at camp: Playing a kafana set with Eleni and Bobby Govetas, Nick Maroussis and Benji [Rifati]. That was probably the thing that stuck out to me. Most the time I don’t get to play with people my age. I grew up in Durham, N.C., and my mother was a folk dancer, and I’ve always been surrounded by people significantly older than me. Playing with talented people close to my age, like those guys, it brought a different feeling that I hadn’t had before. It was really satisfying.
Sevi Bayraktar
Location: Los Angeles, Calif., and Istanbul, Turkey
Occupation: I’m a Ph.D. candidate in culture and performance at UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance (formerly Dance Ethnology).
Connection to Balkan music/dance: I’m a professional dancer specializing in traditional dances of Asia Minor, Turkish Roma, and Flamenco. Parts of my work and dance research can be seen on my blog, www.terraroman.com
Number of times at Balkan camp: One.
Studied at camp: I have learned new instruments like tapan, practiced singing Albanian songs and I joined almost all dance classes as my main focus. I enjoyed everything that I newly practiced in the camp and these new experiences surely fed my artistic approach and practice.
Memorable moment at camp: The camp was a fantastic experience in its entirety. Living for a week in a beautiful natural forest with no internet was tough yet emancipatory.
Sevi Bayraktar
Because this was my first time in the camp, I did not know many people before I arrived; however, from day 0 (I mean, even before the camp started, the days during which I was trying to figure out how to go to the camp) until the very last day campers were extremely accommodating, helpful and friendly. Their kind and humble being provided a neophyte camper with the warmest environment, besides the fire set every night outside of the kitchen.
One thing that I would not forget is the deer family accompanying our drum classes and everyday life in the camp. This lovely family composed of parents and little deer kids were very curious about our studies in the camp and showing up particularly in tapan and doumbek classes. It was delightful watching them as they came and went. Their elegance, curiosity and unity as a family were sparking inspiration.
Joshua Laurenzi
Location: Oakland, Calif.
Occupation: Massage therapist, medical herbalist, musician
Connection to Balkan music/dance: I perform with Ghost Note Ensemble ghostnoteensemble.bandcamp.com.
Number of times at Balkan camp: This was my first time at camp.
Studied at camp: Greek violin
Memorable moment at camp: The openness and welcoming attitudes of everyone were so surprising and wonderful. I’ve been to many other music camps and this is usually not so much the case. From the moment I arrived people were friendly and helpful. My time at camp this year was so wonderful in large part due to this friendliness across the board, from teachers to attendees.
Meadow Lo
Location: Arcata, Calif.
Occupation: I am a public school music teacher. I teach preschool through 8th grade general music, choir, band, strings and other music electives.
Connection to Balkan music/dance: I play in the international folk band Chubritza. We perform regularly at our local monthly folk dance parties as well as throughout the West Coast at various folk dance and music festivals.
Number of times at Balkan camp: I have been coming for seven consecutive years.
Studied at camp: I tend to take more singing classes than anything else.
Memorable moment at camp: This summer, my husband and one-year-old son were able to come with me to camp. I was touched and inspired that many of the teachers welcomed my young, boisterous, noisy child and encouraged his obsession with music and instruments. In particular, there was a moment when Raif [Hyseni] saw my son staring at his accordion in awe and invited him to touch it and play some notes on the keyboard. It was a very magical and touching experience to have this incredible, world-class musician sharing his accordion with a one-year-old.
Paul Poresky
Location: Coos Bay, Ore.
Occupation: I am a retired rural letter carrier for the Postal Service.
Connection to Balkan music/dance: I do international folk dancing throughout the year. We dance every Monday evening in North Bend, and occasionally in Eugene with their Tuesday group, and at their Veselo Festival. Many of our dances are Balkan.
Number of times at Balkan camp: This was my first time.
Studied at camp: Dance! Dance! Dance! I am not a musician. Been dancing for over 30 years, but never played an instrument. I am trying to learn the kaval, with little success. I enjoyed the Bulgarian and Serbian dance classes the most.
Memorable moment at camp: The Friday afternoon student recitals at the amphitheater were remarkable. It was a real eye-opener to see how much talent there was in camp, and to hear how well people from all over the West could come together for a week and learn to play and sing so beautifully together. In that setting, it was magical.
Devina Boughton
Location: Boston, Mass.
Occupation: I am starting my sophomore year at the Berklee College of Music, where I am pursuing a dual major in trumpet performance and composition. I want to be a professional trumpet player, composer and vocalist.
Connection to Balkan music/dance: When I am in Oregon, I perform with the Balkan band Kef (balkanmusic.org) run by Cody Simmons, another trumpet player who came to the Balkan camp this year. I would love to play Balkan music when in Boston as well, and am planning on pursuing that goal this year.
Number of times at Balkan camp: This was my first time at camp.
Studied at camp: My main focus was the trumpet. Specifically, I really wanted to get a grasp on the Balkan time feel, ornamentation, and improvisation styles. I took brass band from Demiran [Ćerimović], trumpet class, and the Romani ensemble from Vlado [Pupinoski].
Memorable moment at camp: It was a profound experience seeing the community so wholly immersed in their own culture and heritage—that is something that I have rarely seen in my life and it was so cool to be a part of. The whole immersive process of the camp unto itself really struck me, there was no way that I would have been able to understand how the music is played and practiced and approached by listening to it and reading written music. Learning songs in the classes by ear really helped me acquire the feel of it—about halfway through the camp I had a breakthrough in understanding the feel, style and sound of the Balkan trumpet/truba. I could only have understood how to think about and work on this style from that experience. Reflecting on the music as a whole, as I am not at all coming from a dance background, it was very interesting to see a music that is played specifically for various types of dances. Seeing the dance hall and kafana sets was also invaluable because simply experiencing three sets of live Balkan music from the best musicians, and all of the dancers, is such a rare thing.
I loved how amazing Demiran was at teaching despite the language barrier. His virtuosity was so inspiring—how he taught all day and played all night was impressive, especially knowing the limitations that brass instruments can present! Getting to see him and work with him was definitely one of the most important and inspirational facets of the camp and made it really an incredible learning opportunity.
Katherine Chipman
Location: Cottonwood Heights, Utah
Occupation: Kodály music specialist, choir director/guitar teacher, Royal Music Conservatory piano teacher, Singers Abroad director, Momentum Climbing coach
Connection to Balkan music/dance: Zivio Ethnic Arts Ensemble—both dancer and singer
https://www.facebook.com/zivioethnicarts/
Number of times at Balkan camp: This was my first year.
Studied at camp: Singing.
Memorable moment at camp: The community and sense of belonging really surprised me. I especially loved the last day of camp where we all paraded around camp playing music, and the energy I felt being a part of something bigger than myself.
Eve Elliot
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
Occupation: Part-time translator and part-time bicycle courier; these are my day jobs while I try to advance a career as a musician. I front an original band in which I play guitar and keyboard, and do sideman/background work on those instruments as well.
Connection to Balkan music/dance: Friends and I regularly get together to learn and play Balkan music, usually accompanied by a few beers.
Number of times at Balkan camp: This was my first time at camp.
Studied at camp: Greek music for strings, but I was also introduced to makam theory.
Memorable moment at camp: The most touching for me were the moments in between the classes, parties, etc., when spontaneous small groups formed to play music. I remember swatting away mosquitoes while learning song after song from the young Greek dudes, the jangly sound of the guitars and bouzoukis among the trees. Or trying to figure out proper ornamentation technique with a fellow guitar student, struggling to see the fretboard as the sun set. Those moments of intimacy meant a lot to a first-timer like me.