Current staff | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
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..
Nikola
Kostov was born in the village of Kamen Vrûh in 1936, in the
Yambol area of Thrace. From 1969 until his retirement in 1997, Kolyu played
kaval for Ensemble Pirin in Blagoevgrad, accompanying the group on
worldwide tours. Kolyu is an exceptional kaval player with a keen sense of
humor. His style is purely Thracian even though he played a lot of Macedonian
music during his tenure with Ensemble Pirin. After retirement, he
returned to his home village because he “felt very homesick,”
having spent his entire adult life away from his parents. In 2002, Kolyu became
a priest at the village church, so now he is known as “Father Nikola.”
He continues to play and entertain his friends and people in his village.
Gaida
Georgi
Prisadov (Rhodope gaida) is the youngest member of our instrumental
staff. He was born in 1978 in Shiroka Lûka, in the Rhodope Mountains.
He is a graduate of the Shiroka Lûka Music High School. From 1999 to
2004, Georgi studied at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv,
where he is currently a part-time teacher of Rhodope gaida.
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.”
Vesko Hristov is very well known as a maker of musical instruments,
“luthier by tradition and by heritage”, in his own words. His
skills as an instrument maker are due to his technical and musical education,
as well as his research and many years of experience in the field. He obtains,
preserves and processes the raw materials himself, staying abreast of the
latest technical requirements for making instruments. He also designs new
models. Vesko’s personal relationships with many musicians in Bulgaria
– from performers to professors and academicians – also play an
important role in his success as a preferred instrument maker. At this year’s
Seminar, Vesko will demonstrate first-hand some of his skills to his international
audience.
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
Assen Musov is a Plovdiv native. Born in 1939, Assen began
his folk career as a dancer and drum player (tûpan and tarambuka/dumbek)
in 1959 at the Ensemble of the Army, in Sofia. From 1975 to 1985, Assen performed
with Ensemble Trakia in Plovdiv. Today, Assen plays with the newly
founded Ensemble Bûlgare. He has also played with the most
popular groups in the Thracian region, and toured with the famous choir, The
Mystery of Bulgarian Voices, throughout Europe, India, Mexico, Columbia,
Iran, Algeria and many other countries. Assen is equally well known for his
virtuoso tupan playing and for his fun-loving and outgoing personality.
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 as 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. In 2003, he began teaching Bulgarian music for violin
and was a great hit at the 2005 Seminar; we are very pleased to have return
again this year.
Instrument Program Coordinator: 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.
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.
Dobrudzha
Maria
Georgieva Kostadinova was born in 1941 in the village of Lyulakovo,
Dobrich area. In 1961, she got married and moved to her husband’s
village of Kotlentsi. She learned Dobrudzhan folk songs from her mother
and her aunts and has taken part in different festivals and competitions,
winning a number prizes. Now retired, she teaches her songs to her grandchildren
and other young people in the village.
Pirin
Dafina Kostadinova Antonova was born in 1970 in Gotse Delchev, in the Pirin folk region. She graduated from a technical high school and is currently working in a textile factory. Dafina learned to sing from her mother, and has two daughters who are also singers. Since 1987, she has been a member of the folk ensemble in Koprivlen.
Vocal Music Program Coordinator: Iliana Bozhanova, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
(See below for biographical information about Iliana)Dance Classes
Northwest Bulgaria
Dances from Hairedin/Manastirishte
July 29 — Opening Party
July 30 — 9:00 am to July 31 — noon (includes review session)
Penka Krasteva is from the village of Manastirishte in Northwest Bulgaria. She is the secretary for the Cultural House in Manastirishte and was born in Manastirishte.
Radka Alexieva is from the village of Hairedin and is the secretary of the Cultural House in Hairedin.
Todor Angelov (accordion) is from the village of Hairedin and works for the Cultural Center in Hairedin. He plays accordion for all of the music and dance events that take place at the cultural house in Hairedin and often plays for events at the cultural house in Manastirishte.
Todor Petrov Kotsev (tupan) is from the village of Hairedin and born in 1969 in Hairedin. Her grew up in a poor family with 2 brothers and one sister. He is a farmer and mainly takes care of farm animals. He is both an excellent drummer and fine dancer.
Hairedin and Manastirishte are villages about 8 km from eachother and they share many of the same dances, although a few are peculiar to each village. Penka, Radka and Todor Angelov were on the teaching staff of the 2005 Bulgarian Folk Music and Dance Seminar in Plovdiv and are excellent teachers and dancers — and lots of fun.
Shopluk
Dances from Kyustendil
July 31 - 3:00 pm to August 2 — 10:30 am (includes review session)
Valentin
Georgiev Kenov was born in the village of Dragovishtitsa, Kyustendil
area, in 1948. He graduated from the School for Leaders of Amateur Ensembles
in Plovdiv in 1971, and from the Undergraduate Institute for Music and Choreography
in Sofia in 1974. From 1974 to 1978, he worked as a choreographer for Struma
Ensemble, a professional group in Kyustendil. During the same period,
he was appointed an official folklore authority for the region and held
that position until 1991. He was then the Director of the Military Club,
where he was responsible for the club’s cultural events and activities.
Since 2000, Valentin has been working as a choreographer for Pautaliya
Ensemble in Kyustendil.
Assen
Ilchev Iliev (accordion) was born in Kyustendil in 1950
into a family of Roma musicians. Assen is a self-taught, full-time musician.
His father played clarinet and at a very young age Assen started playing
with him in Ensemble Struma in Kyustendil. Assen has worked together
with Valentin Kenov for many years; he is currently employed with Pautaliya
Ensemble in Kyustendil. He performs tunes typical for the Kyustendil
area that he learned from older musicians.
Pirin
Dances from Koprivlen
July 31 — 4:45 pm to August 2 — noon (includes review session)
Todor Angelov Tsvetkov was born in 1956 in the village of Kovachevo, in the Pazardzhik area. He attended the School for Teachers of Amateur Folk Ensembles in Plovdiv in 1980. He has danced in Ensemble Nevrokop in Gotse Delchev since 1968, and in 1981 became the ensemble's choreographer. He has also been director of the folk ensemble in Koprivlen since 1983.
Petûr
Avramov (kaval) was born in 1958 in the village of Koprivlen, near Gotse Delchev, in the Pirin folk region. In 1979, he attended the School for Teachers of Amateur Folk Ensembles in Plovdiv. He is a graduate of the Southwest University “Neofit Rilski” in Blagoevgrad. From 1970–76, Petur was a musician in the amateur ensemble in Koprivlen, and in 1979–80, with Ensemble Dunav in Vidin. Since 1980, he has been the conductor of Ensemble Nevrokop in Gotse Delchev, and has also conducted the ensemble in Koprivlen since 1985. Petur has been playing kemene (gudulka) since he was 9 years old and kaval since he was 12. He carries on the kaval traditions that he learned from his father and grandfather.
Georgi Marinov Kurtov (tambura) was born in 1972 in the village of Koprivlen, near Gotse Delchev, in the Pirin folk region. He studied at a technical high school and currently works as a tractor driver. He has been a member of the folk ensemble in Koprivlen since 1984, and learned to play tambura in the ensemble
Petûr Dimitrov Bojchev (dahare) was born in 1944 in the village of Koprivlen, near Gotse Delchev, in the Pirin folk region. He has an elementary school education. Petur has been playing dahare (frame drum) since the age of 8. He learned to play from his father, and has been playing for weddings for a very long time. Petur's job is working with livestock.
West Thrace
Dances from Oborishte
August 2 — 3:00 pm to August 3 — 6:30 pm (includes review session)
Magdalena
Stoyanova Godzhevargova was born in the village of Oborishte in
1949. She graduated from the Economics School in Pazardzhik and held a position
as an accountant for 15 years. In 1983, she became a secretary/librarian
at the Cyril & Methodius Cultural Center in Oborishte; in this capacity,
Magdalena is responsible for all the cultural activities for the village.
She has been participating in those activities herself since she was 13.
Her father was the person in the village who collected and preserved the
old village dances, and today, Magdalena is passing down her father’s
knowledge to others, keeping the dance traditions of the village alive.
Her daughter, Tsonka, performs the songs of Oborishte and is currently a
singer in Ensemble Trakia in Plovdiv. Magdalena is the Director
of Ensemble Lamba in Oborishte.
Gancho Nikolov Mihov was born in the village of Oborishte in 1970. He graduated from the Mining High School in the town of Panagyurishte and now works for a construction company. He started his dancing career with the dance group at the Mining High School and currently dances with Ensemble Lamba in Oborishte.
Denka Staiova Ereliiska was born in 1954 in the village of Oborishte, Pazardzhik area. She graduated from the High School for Paper and Cellulose Products in Pazardzik and is currently employed by a private company. She has danced in the village’s Ensemble Lamba since her childhood.
Tsvyatko Ivanov Marinski was born in 1986 in the village of Oborishte, Pazardzhik area. He graduated from the Atanas Bourov High School for Mining Careers in Panagyurishte. He works in a construction company and dances in Ensemble Lamba in the village.
Dobrudzha
Dances from Kotlentsi
August 2 — 4:45 pm to August 3 — 4:30 pm (includes review session)
Nikolai
Sarandev Mirchev was born in 1961 in the village of Pobeda, Dobrich
area, but now he lives in Kotlentsi. He started dancing in 1969, and when
he moved to Kotlentsi, having inherited his interest in folklore from his
father and grandfather, he got involved with collecting and performing folk
dances in his new village. His son plays gaida in Dobrich and often comes
to play in the village of Kotlentsi. Nikolai is a driver for Serdika, a
company in Dobrich.
Stoicho Dimitrov Stoichev (gaida) was born in 1965 in the village of Pchelarovo, Dobrich area. His father and others in his family are also gaida players. He has taught instrumental music to about 150 kids in the Center for Work with Children in the city of Dobrich, and has played gaida in the traditional Ensemble Kotlentsi since its founding in 1997.
Damian Vasilev Dimov (kaval) was born in 1988 in Dobrich. This year he will graduate from Kliment Ohridski High School in Dobrich, where he is majoring in music. He has taken part in many competitions for young musicians.
Survey of Bulgarian Dance
Dances from various Bulgarian regions including review of favorite dances from 2005 & 2006 Bulgarian Folk Music & Dance Seminars
August 4 — 9:00 to 4:30 pm (includes review session)
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
70 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 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 Mendocino, Ramblewood, 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, Iliana is an architectural draftsperson.
Dance Program Coordinator: Iliana Bozhanova, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
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 over 25 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.