Current staff | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
Instrument ClassesKaval
Lyuben
Dossev, born in Pleven, Northern Bulgaria on April
12, 1953. Following in the footsteps of his father, Tsvetan
Dossev the kaval player for the North Bulgaria Folk Ensemble,
Lyuben started to play the kaval at a very early age. As
early as in 7th grade, he was recruited to play
at youth folk camps to teach younger children how to play
the kaval. After Lyuben graduated from the Pleven Music
High School he moved to Plovdiv to attend the Plovdiv Music
Academy. During this time he was one of the founders of
the first Vocational Music High School in the town of Shiroka
Lûka, in the Rhodope mountains. Lyuben received his
degree from the Plovdiv Music Academy, and has been teaching
there ever since; he has taught almost 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 the
Dean of the Department of Music Folklore, Choreography and
Arts, at the Plovdiv Academy. For the past 10 years, Lyuben
has taught numerous times at folk camps in the USA and is
proud to be the Program Director for Folk Seminar 2005.
Kolyu Kostov, born in the village of Kamen
Vrûh, Yambol area of Thrace in 1936. From 1969 until
his retirement in 1997 Kolyu played kaval for Ensemble Pirin
in Blagoevgrad and accompanied them during their worldwide
tours. Kolyu is an exceptional kaval player with an incredible
sense of humor. His style is purely Thracian even though
he played a lot of Macedonian music during his tenure with
the 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 he became a priest at the village church, so now
he is known as Father Nikola. Kolyu continues to play and
entertain his friends and native villagers.
Gaida
Georgi
Prisadov (Thracian gaida) Prisadov is
the youngest member of our staff. He was born on August
27, 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 Plovdiv Academy,
where he is currently a part-time teacher of Rhodope gaida.
Dafo
Trendafilov (Rhodope gaida), from the
village of Gela, Smolyan District in the Rhodope Mountains
is one of the masters of the kaba (low) gaida (bagpipe).
He learned to play gaida like all the gaida players in the
Rhodopes, up in the mountains grazing the sheep. Dafo, now
in his eighties, cannot remember a single day in his life
when he did not play kaba gaida. In his hands, when he plays,
the gaida not only plays, but fills the soul, and in his
native area people cannot keep from dancing “tyozhko”
(heavy) horo and singing songs like “Byala Sum, Byala
Yunache”. Not only a masterful player, Dafo has been
an instructor at the nearby Shiroka Lûka Music High
School since the schools inception.
Gûdulka
Todor Kirov, born on November 27,
1950 in Veliko Tûrnovo, North Bulgaria. In 1976, Todor
graduated from the Plovdiv Academy and was offered a position
as a gûdulka teacher, which he accepted and holds
to this day. 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 carefully studied the peculiarities 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."
Rangel Karakitukov, born on January
10, 1944 in Panicheri, Plovdiv area. After completing 8th
grade in his native village, Rangel moved to Plovdiv to
attend the Carpentry School, majoring in Instrument Making
and Care. There he learned how to make violin, cello, stand-up
bass, guitar, etc. In the meanwhile he purchased a gûdulka
from a friend and taught himself to play by repeating the
music he heard.
Soon he auditioned for Kosta Kolev's band at Radio Sofia
and that was the beginning of his professional career as
a gûdulka player. Throughout his life he has been making
and repairing gûdulkas. Rangel continues to play gûdulka
in studio recordings with Lyuben Dossev.
Tambura
Vladimir Vladimirov, born in 1975
in Stara Zagora, Thrace. Vladimir graduated as a tambura
major from the "Filip Kutev" Music High School
in Kotel. In the year 2000, he completed his Bachelor's
degree at the Plovdiv Music Academy. In 2002, Vladimir began
teaching tambura part-time; he has been working as a teaching
assistant at the Plovdiv Music Academy since 2004.
Ignat
Kukov, born on May 9, 1934 in the village of Chernogorovo,
Pazardzhik area. Ignat is the oldest tambura player in the
Plovdiv area as well as the most respected. When he was
a boy he learned how to play the tambura from his father.
He worked for many years with the Assen Diamandiev orchestra
and the orchestra of Radio Plovdiv. Ignat has played for
the records of ALL the folk singers of the region. He founded
the prominent Srednogorska Troyka (The Trio from Srednogorie)
in 1971.
Although retired, Ignat spends a lot of time among young
musicians. His son, Sotko Kukov, studied tambura at the
Academy and has worked on multiple recordings with his father
at Radio Plovdiv as well as the National Radio Sofia.
Tûpan
Assen Musov, born on June 16,
1939 in Plovdiv. In 1959, Assen began his folk career as
a dancer and drum (tupan and tarabuka) player 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. Assen has played
with the most popular groups in the Thracian region. He
has toured with the famous choir, "The Mystery of the
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 outgoing personality.
Clarinet
Petko
Radev, born on April 9, 1933 in the village of
Svoboda, Chirpan region of Thrace. As a child Petko started
to play on his father's clarinet. During his first 15 years
of playing clarinet he played only folk music. During the
next 15 years Petko concentrated on the classical genre
and he graduated with “excellence” from the
Sofia Music High School and the Sofia Conservatory. Petko’s
first folk recordings were made with Radio Sofia and soon
he became everyone's favorite, and a mentor to many younger
musicians. Petko has been featured on numerous folk recordings
for Balkanton records from the 1960s-1990s. Equally skillful
in classical and folk music, Petko was the clarinet soloist
at the Milan Philharmonic Orchestra for 11 years. When he
returned to Bulgaria he started teaching clarinet at the
Sofia Conservatory, and has recently retired from there.
He is now a professor at the Plovdiv Academy and continues
to be one of the most respected and popular clarinet players
among lovers of folk music.
Accordion
Krasen Gospodinov, born on
May 26,1965 in Zhitnitsa, Dobrich area, Dobrudzha. Krasen
started playing accordion at the Children's Music School
when he was 5 years old. He won first place at both the
5th and 6th National Festivals in 1979 and 1983 respectively
and also won the Special Award for Young Performers from
Radio Shumen in 1982-83. He graduated from the Plovdiv Music
Academy in 1998 as a music pedagogy major. Krasen has bean
featured on numerous shows for National Television, Bulgarian
National Radio, Radio Shumen, Plovdiv Community Television
and many others. Krasen has toured the world from India
to France and played at famous venues where he has been
the featured performer. Krasen currently plays accordion
and composes music for Ensemble Trakia in Plovdiv. He's
intending to compete as the fastest accordion player for
the Guinness Book of World Records.
Violin
Ivan Paskalev was born in 1968 and he
began his musical training when he was 12 years old. His
first instrument was the "gudulka" which is the most common
bowed instrument in Bulgarian folk music. When he was 15
years old he began playing violin (which is called "tsigulka"
in Bulgarian) and at that time it became his major instrument.
During that period he was accepted as a student in the prestigious
Secondary School for Folk Instruments and Singing in Shiroka
Luka, Smolyan District, Bulgaria.
After completing his studies at Shiroka Luka Ivan was much sought after because of his musical talent. He has played with some of Bulgaria�s most famous folk bands including "Astra," "Rhodopi," and Ivo Papasov�s "Trakiya" group. He has appeared countless times on Bulgarian Television and is in constant demand to play for Bulgarian wedding parties and at restaurants. He has traveled with various groups to perform is Serbia, Macedonia and Switzerland.
He has also appeared in several on the CDs of traditional Bulgarian folk dance music produced by Lyuben Dossev and Iliana Bozhanova.
Singing Classes
Thrace
Tanya Dosseva, born on December 24,
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
Plovdiv Academy in 1977 and was immediately hired as a teacher
at the Shiroka Luka Music High School; she was simultaneously
appointed a soloist for the Academy Folk Choir, a position
that she held for 11 years. Throughout her singing career,
Tanya Dosseva has performed at the most prestigious venues
in Bulgaria and Europe. She now sings with one of the most
popular wedding bands in the country, the the Konushenska
Group. In the summers of 2000 and 2001, Tanya taught at
the East European Folklife Center’s Balkan Music &
Dance Workshops at Camp Ramblewood in Maryland, USA. She
is delighted to welcome her American friends into the bright
halls of her Alma Mater.
Stoyanka Yordanova, born on September 28
1943 in the village of Dûlgo Pole, Plovdiv region.
Stoyanka is the daughter of the famed Bulgarian violin player
Georgi Arabadzhiiski who is also known to be the eldest
violin player in Bulgaria. At 18, Stoyanka started her singing
career with the Assen Diamandiev Ensemble in Plovdiv. That
ensemble disbanded 2 years later and she started making
her living as a singer at weddings, village festivals, celebrations,
fairs and concerts. In the meantime, Stoyanka married accordionist
Yordan Yordanov. In her singing career she has recorded
with the Konushenska Group, Lenovskata Groupa, Karadzhoovski
Folk Band, Pilashevo Band, Radio Plovdiv orchestra, Todor
Prashtakov Band and Delcho Mitev Band. Stoyanka now lives
in Kochevo, Plovdiv region of Thrace.
Shopluk
Bistritsa Babi from Bistritsa village.
Vocal Program Coordinator: Tanya Dosseva
Dance Classes
- August 9 - 10 - Dobrudzha & North West Bulgaria
Dobrudzha
Angel Rusev Serbezov, born on 21 October 1943, in the village of Zhitnitsa, Dobrich area, Dobrudzha. Music for Angel's classes will be provided by Krasen Penchev Gospodinov, accordion (see above). Angel was a soloist with Ensemble Dobrudzha for many years. He has worked with a number of village folklore groups in his area and as a dancer has never lost his connection to his village roots.
North West Bulgaria
Plamen Tsvetanov Plamenov, born on 14 February 1974 in the town of Dupnitsa, North West Bulgaria and Milko Ivanov Mitkov, born on 11 February 1974 in Oryahovo, North West Bulgaria. Both Plamen and Milko have been dancing with local ensembles since early childhood and play an intricate role in the activities of the local ensemble for "izvoren" folklore at the Svetlina Community Center in Manastirishte.
Both Plamen and Milko live in the village of Manastirishte, Lom area, North West Bulgaria and they will teach dances from Manstirishte. - August 11 - 12 - Shopluk & Thrace
Shopluk
Voin Voinov from Dupnitsa
Thrace
Zlatomir Krûstev Barotov, born on 14 April 1973, lives in the village of Kokorevo, Yambol area, East Thrace. Music for Zaltomir's classes will be provided by Mladen Iliev Asenov (gaida), born on 28 August 1960 in the village of Kokorevo, Yambol area, East Thrace. - August 13 - Pirin
Georgi Simeonov Dimitrov, born on March 16,1961, is a dancer from the village of Kavrakirovo, Petrich area, Pirin. Gergi started dancing at the local community center when he was about 10 years old. For more than 30 years, his primary interest has been studying and teaching authentic dances from the region but Georgi is also an excellent zurna and tupan player.
Music for Georgi's classes will be provided by Dimitar Simeonov Dimitrov, born on Feb. 3, 1959, who plays First zurna; Georgi Dimitrov Dimitrov (son of Dimitar), born on May 27, 1983, who plays Second zurna; and Martin Georgiev Dimitrov (son of Georgi Simeonov Dimitrov), born on Dec. 12, 1985, who plays tapan.
Georgi Simeonov Dimitrov and Dimitar Simeonov Dimitrov are the sons of legendary zurna player Selim Demirov (Simeon Dimitrov) who we also hope will be able to join us at the Seminar. This is truly a family band!

Members of our dance program team, left to right: Cathie Springer, Iliana Bozhanova and Georgi Iliev
Dance Program Coordinator: Iliana Bozhanova, Plovdiv Bulgaria
Dance Program Teacher Assistant and Bulgarian/English Translator: Cathie Springer, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.

