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.
Julian Geary
Location: Portland, Ore.
Occupation: High school freshman
Connection to Balkan music/dance: Music has always been a big part of my life, and my dad fell in love with Balkan music just around the time I was born. Through him I have slowly been liking it more and more.
Number of times at Balkan camp: For years I have been asking my dad to let me go to camp and finally this year I was allowed.
Studied at camp: I decided to continue my learning of violin, and picked up the tupan, which was a great decision.
Memorable moment at camp: It was a dream come true, and I was not disappointed. Throughout these first few boring weeks of school I constantly find myself daydreaming back to when the next-gen played in front of a packed audience in the kafana with the whole crowd jumping up and down in a hip-hop fashion that me and my friends started. Camp was the highlight of my summer and I hope I can come back next year.
Hilary Seamans
Location: Albany, Calif.
Occupation: Acupuncturist
Connection to Balkan music/dance: I sing with Mozaik Voices, a Berkeley-based, five-voice Balkan and folk ensemble. We sing a variety of music from all over the world, a cappella or accompanied by drums or accordion. Here is our website! https://mozaikvoices.com/
Number of times at Balkan camp: 2017 was my first time at camp, and it was amazing!
Studied at camp: I focused on voice, though I also loved the dance in the evenings.
Memorable moment at camp: Although nearly everything about camp was surprising and wonderful, the highlight of the week was definitely being able to enjoy the performances of the other students and the instructors in the dance hall and the kafana. I knew I would be surrounded by talented people, but I was honestly blown away by so many of the performances that I got to see in the evenings at camp. To try and pick a favorite would be impossible, but the feeling of being in the presence of greatness but surrounded by a strong and inclusive community was truly unique and special.
Dawn Royston
Location: Gainesville, Fla.
Occupation: I’m a jazz singer but also have been working in politics lately.
Connection to Balkan music/dance: There is no Balkan scene here in Gainesville. I do think it’s a place that Balkan music would be appreciated and hope to get musicians together and start playing music!
Number of times at Balkan camp: This was my first time.
Studied at camp: Coming in, I was most excited to learn Bulgarian repertoire and to meet and hear a Rhodope singer in person for the first time. For that reason, at first, I was really tuning into Donka [Koleva]. But while there I became enchanted with the vocal ornamentation of Greek singing. Coming from a vocal classical background, being able to listen to the ornamentations of all styles and hear singers in person was very important and informative for me.
Memorable moment at camp: On the whole, this experience was unforgettable and unique and special. I recall one moment when I was on the porch of my cabin and listening to a Lithuanian ensemble and in the middle of the field a brass band with accordion was playing and thinking to myself what a unique and special village the EEFC creates every year.
But I think the most amazing moment of the week was once very late at night at kafana with one of Ruth and Christos’s ensembles. Although I was exhausted I decided to join this smaller dancing circle and locked into the steps although since I was new to the dances I had occasionally had trouble with other dances that week. It was such a feeling of connection that I had to this group; the band found a perfect groove and it felt like time was suspended. It was very spiritual experience for me and I want to thank the EEFC scholarship committee for enabling me to have it.
Zach Serleth
Location: Baltimore, Md.
Occupation: Full-time musician, in jazz, bluegrass/old-time, and Eastern European styles
Connection to Balkan music/dance: I play bass in jazz manouche ensembles here in MD (Baltimore Swing Drop, Ultrafaux) as well as an Eastern European group called Orchester Prazevica. We play dances at the embassies in DC whenever they have them :).
Number of times at Balkan camp: First camp!
Studied at camp: Greek music (bass) and brass band (tuba). I brought my upright bass and guitar to the various ensemble classes and got a lot out of those as well. I learned so much!
Memorable moment at camp: Playing in the student concert with the brass band was one of the most magical musical experiences I have ever felt in my life. I was literally crying tears of joy while blowing my tuba during the last song. I’ve studied Balkan brass band music for the last five years but have never had the opportunity to play it with anyone. Playing it at camp with such high-level musicians may have been the best thing I have ever done.