TEACHERS Folk Seminar 2010
Teaching staff from previous years
Kaval
Temelko Ivanov was born in the city of Burgas in 1976, and has been playing kaval since he was 12 years old. Temelko attended the Kotel Music High School from 1990 to 1995, after which he was accepted at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv. The following year he joined Ensemble Trakia. Temelko completed his degree at the Academy in Conducting Folk Orchestras, and Music Pedagogy. His mentors and teachers were Georgi Penev and Lyuben Dossev. Today, Temelko continues to work at Ensemble Trakia and is mainly focusing on recording music and teaching younger students.
Gaida
Dimcho Dimitrov Enchev (Rhodope gaida) was born in Plovdiv in 1973. He started playing gaida when he was 12 years old. He graduated from the Music High School in Shiroka Lûka, and in 2002, he received his Bachelor's Degree in music pedagogy from the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv. Since 2005, Dimcho has worked as a gaida player in Ensemble Trakia in Plovdiv. Dimcho has studied with well-known Rhodope gaida players Dafo Trendafilov and Vasil Bebelekov.
Encho Pashov (Thracian gaida) was born in the village of Sinapovo, Strandzha region, in 1951. In 1976, he graduated from the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv, and from 1976 to 1980, Encho taught gaida at the Academy as a part-time faculty member. At the same time, he was the featured gaida soloist for Ensemble Trakia. Throughout the years, Encho has made multiple recordings with the National Radio in Plovdiv and Sofia. Between 1989 and 2002, he taught young Bulgarians in Moldova to play gaida and kaval. Currently, Encho teaches gaida at the Lyuben Karavelov high school in Plovdiv. He is also an instrument maker, making gaidas and kavals at a small studio in the Old Town, near the Academy in Plovdiv.
Gûdulka
Todor Kirov was born in 1950 in Veliko Tûrnovo, North Bulgaria. In 1976, Todor graduated from the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv and was offered a position as a gûdulka teacher, which he still holds. He has taught almost all of the current generation of professional gûdulka players and is a highly distinguished figure in Bulgarian gûdulka playing and teaching. Todor Kirov has thoroughly studied the unique characteristics of his instrument and has published a number of books about how to play gûdulka, including “Evolution of the gûdulka and gûdulka playing in Bulgaria,” “The art of the gûdulka in Dobrudja,” and “Tunes for gûdulka.”
Tambura
Vladimir Vladimirov was born in Stara Zagora, Thrace, in 1975. He graduated as a tambura major from the Filip Kutev Music High School in Kotel. In 2000, he completed his Bachelor’s degree at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv. Vladimir began teaching tambura part-time in 2002; he has been working as a teaching assistant at the Academy since 2004.
Tûpan
Mitko Hristov Popov was born in Varna in 1962. He graduated from the Dobri Hristov Music High School in Varna. Since 1985, he has been playing tûpan with Ensemble Trakia in Plovdiv. Mitko has performed in over 20 countries with Ensemble Trakia, as well as with Iglika, Matevski, The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices, and the Trakia Choir. His most distinguished appearances include shows at the Olympia Theater in Paris and Le Grand Mix show in Nantes, France.
Violin
Ivan Paskalev began studying music in 1977 and graduated from the Shiroka Lûka Music High school. Since 1985, he has researched and performed Bulgarian and pan-Balkan folk music on his violin. Ivan has played violin with many of Bulgaria’s popular folk bands, including Rhodopi, Plam, and Ivo Papasov’s Trakia, and is a highly respected and sought out musician throughout Bulgaria. In 1997, Ivan took a position as a resident musician at the very successful music company, Payner Music, and has recorded with several other music studios as well. In 2000, Ivan founded and has since been the director of his own band Plovdiv.
Accordion
Georgi Zafirov Seymenski was born in 1971 in the city of Lom, Montana region, North Bulgaria. In 1977 he moved with his family to Plovdiv and started studying accordion at a music school for children. When he was in the 4th grade he started learning to play gûdulka. He graduated from the Music High School in Shiroka Lûka in 1990 and is now working towards his bachelor's degree at the Academy of Music and Dance Arts in Plovdiv; at both schools he has focused on playing gûdulka. While studying, Georgi has also been working as an accordionist with different music groups. He has toured with the folk group "Lyra" both inside Bulgaria and abroad. He has taught accordion at a folk music workshop in Neuchateau, Belgium. From 1997 to 2008, Georgi was the accordionist for the folk dance ensemble "Iglika".
Clarinet
Nikola Iliev from Konush, in Thrace, is one of the most famous Bulgarian clarinetists. Trained at the Music Academy in Plovdiv, he studied under the well-known Petko Radev, and later received a Master's Dergee in Sofia from the Sofia Conservatory of Music. Founder of Konushenska Grupa, one of the most popular, wedding bands in Bulgaria, he has been playing for weddings and recording studios for over 35 years and has toured extensively throughout Europe and appeared countless times on Bulgarian Television. A master of traditional and modern Bulgarian instrumental folk music, he is one of the founding pioneers of the contemporary wedding band style.
Instrument Program Coordinator: Prof. Lyuben Dossev
Lyuben Dossev was born in Pleven, North Bulgaria, in 1953. Following in the footsteps of his father Tsvetan Dossev, the kaval player for Severnyashki Ensemble, Lyuben started to play the kaval as a small child. As early as the 7th grade, he was recruited by youth folk camps to teach kaval to younger children. After Lyuben graduated from the Pleven Music High School, he moved to Plovdiv to attend the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts. During this time, he was one of the founders of the vocational music high school in the town of Shiroka Lûka in the Rhodope mountains, the first of its kind in Bulgaria. Lyuben received his Bachelor’s degree from the Academy and has been teaching there ever since; he later went on to earn his Doctorate degree, also from the Academy. Lyuben has taught nearly all of the current generation of Bulgaria’s most well-known kaval players and has been a mentor for many young musicians, as well as colleagues at the Academy. In 2004, Lyuben was elected Dean of the Department of Music Folklore, Choreography and Arts, at the Academy. For the past 10 years, he has taught numerous times at folk camps in the U.S. and is proud to be the Program Director for the Bulgarian Folk Music & Dance Seminar again this year.
Late in 2008, Lyuben Dossev became Bulgaria's first kaval player to achieve full professorship and was elected Vice Rector of the Music Academy.
Singing Classes
Thrace
Tanya Dosseva was born in 1954 in Sinapovo, Strandzha region, in Eastern Thrace. Tanya’s first singing experiences date back to her early childhood performances at village fairs, celebrations and competitions where she often moved the audience to tears with her sad slow songs and beautiful voice. Tanya graduated from the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv in 1977 and was immediately hired as a teacher at the Shiroka Lûka Music High School; she was simultaneously appointed a soloist for the Academy’s Folk Choir, a position that she held for 11 years. Throughout her singing career, Tanya has performed at many prestigious venues in Bulgaria and Europe; she now sings with one of the most popular wedding bands in the country, Konushenska Grupa. In the summers of 2000 and 2001, Tanya taught at the East European Folklife Center’s Balkan Music & Dance Workshops in Maryland, USA. She is pleased to welcome her friends from other countries into the bright halls of her alma mater.
West Thrace
Petrana “Pepa” Koutcheva, originally from the Pazardzhik region in West Thrace, now lives in New York City. She will be teaching songs from her native area, as well as translating for other Bulgarian singing classes. Pepa grew up in a family of singers in Thrace. Since coming to the U.S., she has toured and performed extensively, including concert appearances at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and the United Nations. She is also the founder and director of the singing group Pesnopojka in New York. Pepa has taught Balkan music at the EEFC’s Balkan Music and Dance Workshops on both U.S. coasts and throughout the States. She has four recordings to her name, and has won many honors in her native Bulgaria for performances and activities in teaching traditional music. In 1999, the Slavic Heritage Council of America awarded her a special Certificate of Recognition in gratitude for her outstanding contributions to the Slavic community of Greater New York.
Vocal Music Program Coordinator: Lyuben Dossev, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Dance Classes
Northwest Bulgaria: August 9, 2010, Zamfirovo village, Montana region
Ensemble Gushantsi, from the "Razvitie" Cultural Center, will open the Seminar's dance program with their group of about 20 dancers and musicians. "Gushantsi" is the old name for their village, now called Zamfirovo, which is located near the larger town of Montana in northwest Bulgaria. The members of Ensemble "Gushantsi" range in age from 7 to 78 and have preserved, and still perform, about a dozen local dances. They believe that some of these dances date back to late 1800s. The dancers will be accompanied by their brass band, about 8 musicians from ages 34 to 80. The ensemble's most notable recent performances were at the 2005 Koprivshtitsa National Folk Festival, and the 3rd World Folklore Exhibition in Hungary.
Ensemble Gushantsi
Shopluk: August 10, 2010, Kladnitsa village, Pernik region
In addition to their many activities in connection with local celebrations and other events, folklore groups from the "Probuda" cultural center in the village of Kladnitsa have taken part in numerous festivals around Bulgaria, including Koprivshtitsa, Rozhen Pee, Veliko Tûrnovo, Dobrich and Kazanlûk; they have also performed in Cuba, Macedonia and Poland.
At the 2010 Seminar, the following members of the cultural center's folk dance ensemble will present local dances and songs: Krasimir Simeonov Traikov, Rosen Yordanov, Elka Simeonova Pûrvanova, Emilia Zdravkova Stanachkova and Nikolai Angelov Todorov (dancer, singer). They will be accompanied by a folk orchestra that includes: Georgi Slavkov (accordion; group leader), Kiril Simeonov Kirilov (tûpan), Yordan Lefterov Todorov (kaval), Rumen Ankov (gaida) and Dimitûr Yordanov Deyachki (gûdulka). The Secretary of the cultural center is Blagorodka Ivanova Vasileva.
Dance Ensemble from Kladnitsa village
Pirin: August 11, 2010, Draginovo village, Pazardzhik region
The "Draginovo" Ensemble for Authentic Folklore was founded in 1969 with the goal of researching and reviving the authentic folklore of the Rhodope and Pirin ethnographic regions. The founding directors were Greta Kadyova and Vasil Krivoshiiski; today the leaders of the group are Greta Kadyova (artistic director), Alexander Peev (choreographer) and Mitko Dedov (music director).
The ensemble's repertoire includes songs and dances from the Southwestern Rhodope mountains, preserved from the second half of the 19th century. Ensemble "Draginovo" has been awarded gold medals and many other prizes at distinguished folk festivals in Bulgaria - Rozhen, Koprivshtitsa and Pirin Pee. The ensemble has also traveled abroad - to Italy, France, Germany, Greece, Romania, Czech Republic, Poland, etc. - and has been awarded prizes at international festivals - Zhivets (2002) and "Zlatna Bradva" (Golden axe) at Zakopane, Poland (2003).
Women's dance group of Draginovo village
Men's group of Draginovo village
Thrace: August 12, 2010, Drazhevo village, Yambol region
Since its founding in 1936, the "Progress" Cultural Center has been the heart of the village of Drazhevo. The folklore ensemble at the Cultural Center started up in 1984; Atanaska Ivanova Todorova was one of the founders and leaders of the group. The founders worked very hard to gather information about the folk heritage of their native area. Today the ensemble continues that work, tracking down, recreating and transmitting the local traditions, songs and dances to future generations.
During its 25-year history, the "Progress" Folklore Ensemble has participated in dozens of regional, national and international events. They have taken part in all the Folk Festivals at Koprivshtitsa: in 1991 they were laurates and in 2005 they received a special award. They also received a special award at the Rozhen Festival in 2006. They have toured in Ukraine and performed for the Bulgarian community there. The group has appeared in films made for Bulgarian TV - "Slûnchev Eleksir" (Elixir of the Sun) and "Velikden" (Easter) - and a TV special, "Trite pûti". Todorka Foteva is the director of the ensemble.
Ensemble from Drazhevo village
Dobrudzha: August 13, 2010, Profesor Ishirkovo village, Silistra region
The roots of ensemble "Plodorodna niva" go back to 1961, when the first youth dance group, with director Panyo Panev, was established in Prof. Ishirkovo village. The choreographer Stoil Enchev founded a children's dance ensemble in 1972, and an ensemble for authentic folklore was established in 1978; Stoil Enchev was then the artistic director of all three groups. In the year 2000, the groups merged and ensemble "Plodorodna niva" was born. The chief artistic director of the ensemble is Dimitûr Dzhambazov. The groups have been awarded prestigious prizes, medals and certificates from festivals and competitions; they have performed at every Koprivshtisa national festival.
The ensemble performs dances specific to their local region: Sboryanka, Lyasa, Chesta, Povrûshtanka, Malka lyasa, Rumûnskata, Rûchenitsa. The music for these dances has been handed down from musician to musician; the instruments are the typical combination for Dobrudzha: gaida, kopanka (small gûdulka), button accordion and tûpan. The motto of the ensemble is: "Folklore is like the embers of a fire: they glow but never die out".
Ensemble from Profesor Ishirkovo village
Rhodope mountains: August 14, 2010, Gela village, Smolyan region
Founded on January 19, 1953, Ensemble "Manol Radichev" is the oldest ensemble in the mid-region of the Rhodope mountains. Throughout the more than 50 years of its performing history, the ensemble has presented the folklore of the Rhodope mountains in its purest form. For this, the group has been recognized many times. They have received 7 gold medals at competitions in Bulgaria for amateur groups presenting authentic folklore; a 1st prize at the "Festival of Groups from Mountain Areas" at Zakopane, Poland; 3 of the highest awards from the International Eisteddfod Festival at Llangollen, Wales; and certification from CIOFF/UNESCO granting them the right to take part in festivals for authentic folklore around the world.
The ensemble's repertoire includes performances of "Nadigravane" (a competition dance), "Na Ilinden" (the feast day of St. Elia), "Eksarski praznik na Gela" (holiday celebration in the village of Gela), and many other dance and gaida suites and solo numbers.
Ensemble from Gela village
Dance Program Coordinator: Iliana Bozhanova, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Iliana Bozhanova was born into a family of musicians and singers in Galabovo, South Thrace. She graduated from the National School for Art Instructors and later completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Bulgarian Folk Dance and Choreography at Plovdiv’s Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts. At the age of 16, Iliana joined the folk dance ensemble Rûchenitsa in Plovdiv. Through this group, she had the opportunity to perform Bulgarian folk dances in other parts Bulgaria, as well as in Greece, Serbia, Poland, Belgium, Portugal, France, Italy, Holland, and Russia. In 1981, she became choreographer and artistic director of two children’s folk dance ensembles — Radost in the village of Yoakim Gruevo, and the ensemble of the Rosa Dimitrova Orphanage. Since October of 2004, Iliana has been the director and choreographer of Ensemble Voivodintsi, which has 100 dancers and singers who range in age from 5 to 76 years old. Throughout the years, Iliana has also worked with many ensembles in the Netherlands, Norway, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Switzerland and the U.S. In the United States, she is also well known as a dance teacher at dozens of folk dance clubs and camps, including EEFC East and West Coast Balkan Music & Dance Camps, Old World Music & Dance, Pinewoods, Mainewoods, Stockton, and others. She has lectured at many colleges and universities around the world. In addition to working as a dance teacher and choreographer, up to 2005, Iliana also worked as an architectural draftsperson. For more information, visit Iliana Bozhanova's web site.
Dance Program Teacher Assistant and Bulgarian/English Translator: Cathie Springer, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
Bulgarian Language Classes
Catherine Struse Springer was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, USA, and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. To support her various artistic endeavors, Cathie has worked as administrative staff at the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, Wall Street investment banking firms, and various folk arts organizations. She is currently a free-lance gardener, and Editor of the Hardanger Fiddle Association of America’s journal Sound Post. A 1981 graduate of the Bulgarian Folk Dance Program at the School for Teachers of Amateur Activities in Plovdiv, Cathie has been Director of the Bosilek Bulgarian Folk Dance Ensemble in New York for 28 of its 30 years. Cathie likes to use her language skills (Bulgarian, Norwegian and French, among others) as a way of bringing people together.
Cathie Springer and Iliana Bozhanova of the Folk Seminar staff.
NOTE: 2010 Schedule — subject to change