2025 Teachers

Our teaching staff is in process. Please check back often as we add names to the list!
Staff and class description listings are subject to update and change.

Dance

Michael Ginsburg

Balkan Dance

Michael has been director and lead trumpet player of Zlatne Uste Balkan Brass Band since 1983. He accompanied ZU to brass festivals in Guča, Serbia, three times between 1987 and 1990, as well as...Read More

Joe Kaloyanides Graziosi

Greek Dance

Joseph Kaloyanides Graziosi was born and raised in the greater Boston area. Of Greek and Italian ancestry, Joe was exposed at an early age to Greek music and dance through both family contacts...Read More

Konstantin Marinov

Bulgarian Dance

Konstantin "Kotse" Marinov is from Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. From the age of 5 he performed with the Children's and Youth Ensemble "Zagorche." Kotse was born into a dancing family: he and his...Read More

Alex Marković

Serbian & Romani Dance

Alex Marković holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Illinois-Chicago. He wrote his doctoral thesis on identity politics and musical performance among Romani brass musicians in...Read More

Instruments & Ensembles

Peter "Usmivkata" Aleksiev

Thracian Gajda

Peter "Usmivkata" (The Smile) Aleksiev was born in Varna, Bulgaria. He graduated from "Philip Kutev" Music School in Kotel, then from Plovdiv's Academy for Music and Dance Arts. He was part of the...Read More

David Bilides

Macedonian Tambura; Macedonian Village Ensemble

David Bilides’ initial encounters with Balkan folk music were the weddings and dances of the New Haven, Connecticut, Asia Minor Greek community in which he grew up. After hearing other Balkan...Read More

Paul Brown

House Bassist (non-teaching)

Paul Brown has been playing music for 44 years, studying bass and improvisation at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and oud and makam with Haig Manoukian and Necati Çelik. Comfortable in...Read More

Beth Bahia Cohen

Greek Violin; Greek Ensemble

Beth Bahia Cohen has spent a large part of her career exploring how the violin is played in various cultures. Of Syrian Jewish and Russian Jewish heritage, she was inspired at a young age by the...Read More

Polly Tapia Ferber

Doumbek; Frame Drum

Percussionist Polly Tapia Ferber is a music educator, performer, and recording artist who specializes in hand percussion from the Middle East, Turkey, North Africa, the Balkans, and Spanish...Read More

Catherine Foster

Brass Band Melody; Brass Band Ensemble

Catherine Foster has been performing music from Southeastern Europe for over 30 years and has been playing trumpet, clarinet, and saxophone with Borozan Brass Band, Zlatne Uste Balkan Brass Band,...Read More

Valeri Georgiev

Bulgarian Kaval

Valeri Georgiev is from the Bulgarian Danube town of Ruse. He studied kaval in Kotel with Stoyan Chobanov and Georgi Penev, and graduated from the Plovdiv Academy of Arts with a BA degree in...Read More

Adam Good

Makam Theory

Adam Good is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston. With a foundation in jazz guitar, his interest in the music of Eastern Europe and Turkey began in the mid-90s. His talent on...Read More

Raif Hyseni

Accordion; Albanian/Kosovar Ensemble

Raif Hyseni hails from The Republic of Kosova, which has a large Albanian majority. He grew up in the town of Mitrovicë, where he studied accordion at music school and performed in amateur...Read More

Kalin Kirilov

Bitov/Bulgarian Village Ensemble; Balkan Music Theory

Kalin Kirilov, born in Vidin, NW Bulgaria, began singing and playing the accordion at the age of four. He studied tambura and music theory in Vidin and Pleven and graduated from the Academy of...Read More

Nikolay Kolev

Gadulka

Nikolay Kolev, a native of the Thracian Rose Valley village of Karavelovo, has been playing gadulka since age 10. After graduating from the National School of Folk Arts in Shiroka Lŭka, Bulgaria,...Read More

Stoyan Kostov

Bulgarian Tambura

Stoyan Kostov has been playing Bulgarian tambura for over 40 years. He graduated from the folk music school in Kotel and the Plovdiv Academy of Music and Dance. Stoyan performed with Ensemble...Read More

Matt Moran

Tapan/Daouli

Matt Moran has played tapan (aka goč, bubanj, tŭpan, daouli, or davul) since way before you could find videos of Balkan music online. He lives in Brooklyn, NY, where he leads Slavic Soul Party!...Read More

John "Yianni" Roussos

Santouri

John "Yianni" Roussos has performed on the santouri in the northeastern U.S. since 1972. He played for many years with the Pericles Halkias Family Orchestra in New York City and more recently with...Read More

Demetri Tashie

Beginner Ensemble

Demetri Tashie is a longtime Greek dancer and musician. He created the band program for the Hellenic Classical Charter School, a National Blue Ribbon School in Park Slope, Brooklyn. There he...Read More

Kristina Vaskys

Beginner Ensemble

Kristina Vaskys has taught general and choral music in New York City independent schools for 10 years. She currently sings with Accord Treble Choir and is a singer/instrumentalist in Macedonian...Read More

Singing

Merita Halili

Albanian Singing

Merita Halili is one of Albania’s top performers. Born in the capital city of Tiranë, Merita grew up singing the lyric songs of her native region of Central Albania. Her nationwide debut...Read More

Donka Koleva

Bulgarian Singing

Donka Koleva is a vocalist prized for her rich, clear and melodic voice. A graduate of the Folklore High School in Shiroka Luka, she worked as a soloist with the Sliven Ensemble for three years....Read More

Eva Salina

Introduction to Balkan Singing

Eva Salina is a mother, gardener, and a passionate interpreter and instructor of Eastern European vocal traditions. Eva was born and raised in California, spent 14 years in Brooklyn and now lives...Read More

Carol Silverman

Romani Singing

Carol Silverman has been involved with Balkan and Romani music and culture for over thirty years as a researcher, teacher, performer and educational activist. An award-winning professor of...Read More

Michele Simon

Balkan Vocal Technique 101; Balkan Vocal Technique Master Class

Michele Simon has been involved with music all of her life, and with Balkan folk music for most of it, as a dancer, singer, drummer and teacher. She was raised surrounded by music of all kinds,...Read More

Culture

Carol Silverman

Balkan Romani Cultural Topics

Carol Silverman has been involved with Balkan and Romani music and culture for over thirty years as a researcher, teacher, performer and educational activist. An award-winning professor of...Read More

For the Kids

Jaquetta Bustion

Children's Activities

A pianist since childhood, Jaquetta Bustion's love of music began in her earliest school experiences in Philadelphia. She has been a music educator for over twenty years. Whether in public and...Read More

Sarah Ferholt

Kids'/Youth Band Mlado Selo

If you are 5 or 7 or 9, or if you are a teen or young adult, or if you have ever been a part of the Čoček Nation / YAMMS / Mlado Selo EEFC camp youth ensembles, join us! If we have tunes...Read More

Alex Marković

Children's Dance

Alex Marković holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Illinois-Chicago. He wrote his doctoral thesis on identity politics and musical performance among Romani brass musicians in...Read More

Iroquois Springs Site Map

Use this map to help you decide which cabin or cabin area to request on your registration form. Please note that the Hideaway rooms are generally reserved for staff.

Click here to download a full-size PDF of this map.

Getting to Iroquois Springs

Although you are responsible for getting yourself to camp, we will also try and help campers arrange carpools and ground transportation. For specifics and contact info for our ride coordination program, see the red Camper Info tab above.

BY AIR

Iroquois Springs is in Rock Hill, in the southeast corner of New York State in the Catskill Mountains. The nearest large airports are those that serve New York City (we suggest JFK or Newark), or Stewart Airport in Newburgh, NY. The site is about 90 miles NW of New York City, 80 Miles NE of Scranton, PA, and 125 miles SW of Albany, NY.

BY BUS

There is frequent service via the Shortline Bus Co. to Monticello, NY from the Port Authority bus station in Manhattan. Monticello Terminal is about 6 miles from camp. We will do our best to arrange a ride from the station to camp, or you can take a taxi or other rideshare service yourself.

DRIVING

Set your GPS to: 66 Bowers Rd., Rock Hill, NY 12775.

From Manhattan, Westchester, Long Island:

• New York State Thruway North (87N)
• Exit 16 (Harriman) to
• Route 17 West (future 86)
• Exit 110 (Wanaksink Lake)
• Take a left at the stop sign off the exit
• Take a right at the fork (after the blinking light)
• This becomes Bowers Road and leads directly into camp.

• Take I-95 North to
• Garden State Parkway to
• New York State Thruway North (87N)
• Exit 16 (Harriman) to
• Route 17 West (future 86)
• Exit 110 (Wanaksink Lake)
• Take a left at the stop sign off the exit
• Take a right at the fork (after the blinking light)
• This becomes Bowers Road and leads directly into camp.

• Take the Mass. Turnpike West to Sturbridge
• take I-84 West to Walkill/Middleton NY
• take Route 17 West (future 86)
• Exit 110 (Wanaksink Lake)
• Take a left at the stop sign off the exit
• Take a right at the fork (after the blinking light)
• This becomes Bowers Road and leads directly into camp.
• From Albany & Points North:
• New York State Thruway South (87S) to Newburgh
• Take I-84 West to Walkill/Middleton NY
• Take Route 17 West (future 86)
• Route 17 West (future 86)
• Exit 110 (Wanaksink Lake)
• Take a left at the stop sign off the exit
• Take a right at the fork (after the blinking light)
• This becomes Bowers Road and leads directly into camp.

• Route 17 East to
• Exit 109 (Rock Hill)
• Make a left at the end of the exit ramp
• Make a right at the stop sign onto Rock Hill Road
• Go about one mile
• Make a left at the fork at the stop sign onto Bowers Road.

Dine & Dance—Bed & Breakfast

Come for dinner, early evening activities, the dance party and the late-night kafana. Then spend the night and enjoy breakfast before you hit the road!

Here’s how it works:

6:30 p.m.: Arrive at our lovely Catskills site in time for a delicious dinner (see Directions tab above). Before you get in the dinner line, check in at the Front Desk in the Dance Hall/Theater and set up your bunk.

At 8:00 p.m. take in a folklore presentation, singalong, or join in our auction. Dancing to live music begins in the main hall generally around 9:00.

Our Kafana in the woods is a bar and a club, a grill and a pub, and a place where much music and merriment happens into the wee hours. Stay as long as you like!

Sleep in a bunk with the bedding you brought from home.

Roll out of bed, have breakfast by 9:30 a.m., and hit the trail by 10.

All this can be yours for just $150. Such a bargain! A cheap hotel in Monticello is about $85 and contains no options for gajda, rakija, čočeks, or ćevapčići!

HOW TO REGISTER

Use our online form to register for the Bed & Breakfast option. See the red “Register Now” button above. Please note that all B&B registrants must follow the same procedures, timelines and protocols as all other camp registrants.

Evening Schedule 2025

Live in the area? Join us for a fabulous evening of live music and dancing.

Admission includes the evening dance party, a delicious complimentary evening snack, as well as late-night kafana activities until 2:30 a.m. No overnight accommodations are available for partygoers; please make sure you make provisions for getting home safely after the party (or consider registering for our B&B option above!).

Arrive anytime after 8 p.m. and pay the $50 per person fee at the Front Desk in the Dance Hall/Theater. The dance party generally starts at 9 p.m. Please make your reservations by email any day or time before 6 p.m. of the day of arrival. It is also possible to attend the Friday Lamb Roast. The cost for this event is $70, and it includes dinner and the evening party (no overnight accommodations).

HOW TO REGISTER

To register for an evening party, call us at 510-219-5462, OR email the EEFC Office any day or time before 6 p.m. of the desired day for an evening party.

Tell us your name(s) and which night(s) you will be attending. Please make sure your reservation has been confirmed before heading over to Iroquois Springs. Whichever way you choose to contact us, please know that we might not be able to get back to you right away.

Payment. Please be prepared to pay your full fee at the Front Desk when you arrive using cash, credit card, or check.

Note: The 2025 evening party and activity schedule will be published at a later date. Stay tuned!