TEACHERS Folk Seminar 2012
Please note that this web page will be updated shortly with information about the 2012 Folk Seminar. We have left the 2011 Seminar content on-line for your reference.
Teaching staff from previous years
Kaval
Stoyan Ivanov Paurov was born in 1974 in Plovdiv. In 1993 he graduated from the Shiroka Lûka Music High school and later from the Music Academy in Plovdiv where he was mentored by Stefan Mutafchiev, B. Abrashev, and Dimitar Tûpkov.
In 1999 he started working at the Academy teaching Reading Music Charts, Chamber Music and Folk Orchastra in the Music Folklore Department. 2006 to 2009 he led the folk orchestra at Ensamble Trakia. Since 2007 he's been a member of the Union of Bulgarian Composers. He's authored several music booklets of original material, as well as music arrangements to folk orchestra pieces. Some of these are part of the curriculum at a number of high school music classes and the Academy.
Stoyan has been recognized for his compositions several times - third prize from the Second National Academic competition, second prize from the Second Composition competition "Ivan Spasov", recognition for new brass band composition at the Montana Brass Band competition, second prize from the well-known competition "New Bulgarian Music in 7/8" in Chepelare.
Gaida
Ivan Georgiev "Balki" (Thracian gaida) was born in Burgas, Bulgaria, in 1976. He graduated from the specialist High School of Folk Music "Filip Kutev" in 1995 and went on to graduate from the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv in 1999, having specialised in the bagpipe and orchestral conducting. He now teaches there and performs with the Academy's National Representative Orchestra.
He has toured all over the world with the renowned Bulgarian women's choir "The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices" and as accompanist to the vocal quartet "Slavei". As a solo performer he has awed concert hall audiences in Scotland and Northern Ireland with his outstanding presence and musicianship.
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.
Gûdulka
Nikolay Paskalev was born in 1974 in the city of Bourgas. At the age of eight, he began to play the gûdulka. In August of 1986 he wins the gold medal at the 5th National Festival in Koprivshtitsa. That same year a record number of instrumentalists showed up for the competition — about 18,000. The festival was attended by nearly 2,500 specialists and lovers of the Bulgarian folklore, both native and foreign. In 1988 Nikolay was accepted at the "Filip Kutev" Music High school in Kotel. During his time there, Nikolay studied closely the music of great maestros of Bulgarian folklore. In 1996 Nikolay was accepted at the Plovdiv Academy of Music and Dance Arts in the class of Prof. Dr. Todor Kirov. As a soloist of the academic orchestra, he performed at many concerts in Bulgaria as well as abroad. He won first prize in 1998 and 1999, still a novice in the music circles, the previous winner being Yanko Petrov. In his senior year at the Academy Nikolay started working also at Folklore Ensemble "Trakia" and the year after that he started teaching gadulka at the Academy in Plovdiv. In march 2010 he was appointed for a conductor of the orchestra at the Folklore Ensemble "Trakia".
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
Radoslav Iliev Iliev was born in Plovdiv in 1979. He gradualted from the Shiroka Lûka Music High school in 1997 and from the Music Academy in Plovdiv in 2003. From 2003 to 2011 he taught gûdulka at the Shiroka Lûka Music High school. Since November 2011, Radoslav has been performing with the Trakia Ensemble.
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.
Pazardzhik/Shopluk
Mariana Pepelyankova was born in Pazardzhik in 1968. She graduated from the Shiroka Lûka Music High School with a major in folk singing and gûdulka and continued her eduation at the Music Academy in Plovdiv, majoring in music pedagogy, folk singing, gûdulka, and folk group management. From 1991 to 1993, Mariana sang in the chorus of the Pazardzhik Folk Ensemble. At the same time, she led a children's folk group and taught gûdulka at the Youth Music and Arts School in Pazardzhik. Since 1993, Mariana has taught folk singing and gûdulka at a school specializing in music education, and in 2004 she also led the "Omana" choir at the same school. The choir has won prizes at competitions at home and abroad. In 1994, Mariana joined Iliya Mihailov's "Great Voices of Bulgaria" choir and has traveled with them to Italy, Switzerland, France, Austria, Portugal, Canada and the Azores.
Vocal Music Program Coordinator: Lyuben Dossev, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Dance Classes
July 23, 2012: Probuda Cultural Center, Sofronievo village, Vratsa region (NORTH WEST)
The Probuda Cultural Center was founded in 1927 and its dance ensemble was established by Ivan Stoichev Nevlev in 1946. In 1979 Mariana Hristova Popova takes the leadership role in the group and revives the old dances, traditions and rituals. Every year the group participates in national, regional and local competitions presenting authentic Vlach dances - Balutsa, Zhuviatele, Tri Pazashte, Chukarlana, Chumadia. One of their most interesting dances is Pelenitsa, which is only characteristic for the Sofronievo region. The dance is known to be an expression of respect and love for each other.
Three distinct groups work together at Probuda Cultural Center - the dance group for authentic dances, a children's group and a brass band. The cultural center is in close relations with its counter part from Yanka villa, Romania.
July 24-25, 2012: Razvitie Cultural Center, Dibich village, Shumen region (DOBRUDJA)
Ever since its inception, the Razvitie Cultural Center in Dibich village has been preserving and carrying on century-old traditions. The variety of dances presented by the local dance group are taken from the eldest in the village, such as Pestilche, Pasaurska, Zelnika, Hoisata, Rûkata, Tropanka, etc. The members of the group are men and women between 15 and 45 years of age and every year new members are recruited in order to preserve the authentic dances and pass them down to the younger generations. Their performance costumes all come straight out the old chests of the grandmas and grandpas in Dibich village. The dance group presents folk dances, as well we choreographies, at a number of competitions - Christmas Dance-Off in Varna, Pirin Pee, Rozhen, Petrova Niva, Koprivshtitsa, to name a few.
FEATURING: Lozan Simov Ivanchev was born in 1925 in Rezhantsi into the family of a miner. In 1945 he gradutes from a Teacher's Voctional school and works as a teacher throughout his professional career until his retirement in 1985.
Since early childhood, Lozan has a special connection with the Bulgarian folklore and dances. Under Dimitar Doichinov and Georgi Shishmanov Lozan greaduates from the National School for Dance Choreographers and Teachers in 1969. He immediately starts the children's dance emsemble Breza in the town of Breznik. At the time, he also leads dance groups in neighboring villages.
Many of his groups have won prizes at multiple international, national and local competitions. Most of his dances he has researched and learned while in close contact with village dancers in the greater Shopluk area. In 2003 he even published a book on "Folk dances accompanied by song from Graovo region".
Lozan Ivanchev ends his active teaching career in 2003 but he is still in excellent health and continues to attend concerts and performances. On behalf of all organizers of this Seminar, I'd like to welcome him to Plovdiv!July 26, 2012: Prosveta Cultural Center, Dobûrsko village, Blagoevgrad region (PIRIN)
Cultural Center Prosveta has been preserving folk traditions since its inception. Located in close proximity to some great tourist attrations (the unique church St. St. Teodor and Tiron Stratila, National Park Rila, the project of Dobûrsko Union), the activities of the center are more and more sought after.
The Dobarski Babi group was started when the members were young girls and today the group's age ranges between 55 and 80 years. What distinguishes their singing style is their "color" - bright, clean mountain singing from the heart. They are passionate about the local folklore and traditions and perform them in their authemtic form, never leaving aside their witty humor. Their mission is to pass on the traditions to the younger generations, which is why they work closely with the young women's vocal ensemble Kitka in the village on Dobûrsko.
The group has participated in countless national and regional competitions, as well as multiple TV folk programs.
July 27, 2012: Vancho Pashov Cultural Center, Poibrene village, Pazardzhik region (WEST THRACE)
July 28, 2012: Razvitie Cultural Center, Opan village, Stara Zagora region (THRACE)
Dance Program Teacher Assistant and Bulgarian/English Translator: Dilyana Kurdova, Assenovgrad, Bulgaria.
Bulgarian Language Classes
Dilyana Kurdova joined the Seminar team in 2010. She has been involved with folk dancing since 1999 when she was part of an amateur dance group affiliated with the Filip Koutev national ensemble. In 2000, she moved to Athens, Greece to pursue a Bachelor's Degree from Panteion University and joined the amateur dance ensemble at Zografou Cultural Center. She has performed authentic dances from the folk regions of Pontos, Epirus, Thrace, Northern Greece, the islands, and others. In 2007, Dilyana left Greece to earn a Master's Degree from Hochschule Bremen in Germany. While in Germany, she taught Balkan dances at an independent local dance club. Dilyana currently lives in Assenovgrad, Bulgaria and has recently started teaching Bulgarian and Greek folk dances to amateur groups.
NOTE: 2012 Schedule — subject to change