2020 Teachers & Performers

Staff subject to change

Jaquetta Bustion

Kids' Intro to Balkan Rhythms

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

Beth Bahia Cohen

Greek Island Dance Set

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

Balkan Rhythms

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

Michael Ginsburg

Balkan Dance; Greek Brass Band Dance Set

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

Merita Halili

Albanian Dance Set

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

Raif Hyseni

Albanian Dance Set

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

Ralph Iverson

Jam/Teaching Session on Complex Balkan Rhythms

Engineer by day, musician by night, Ralph Iverson has performed for folk dancing since 1985, and has been a regular at the East Coast Balkan Music & Workshop. His main instruments are gadulka...Read More

Aaron Kisslinger

Kids' Class: Simple Song

Bronx-based Aaron Kisslinger is a trombonist, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, writer, producer and bandleader. They are the creative force behind the solo project AANI and Novi Hitovi ("New...Read More

Nikolay Kolev

Gudulka; Bulgarian Dance Set

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

Donka Koleva

Bulgarian Singing; Bulgarian Dance Set

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

Ahmet Lüleci

Turkish Dance

A native of Turkey, Ahmet Lüleci is an accomplished choreographer, dance teacher and performer as well as a researcher of Anatolian culture. He is currently the artistic director of the...Read More

Matt Moran

Intermediate Tapan; Kids' Intro to Balkan Rhythms

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

Sergiu Popa

Romanian/Moldovan Dance Set

Sergiu Popa was born in Chişinau, Moldova. From a young age, he studied traditional folk and Roma (Gypsy) styles with his father, Ion Popa, himself a well-recognized Romani accordionist in...Read More

Eva Salina

Romani Singing; Romani Serenade

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

Corinna Škėma Snyder

'Southern' Group Sing

Corinna Škėma Snyder was 12 when she started singing and studying women’s music from the Balkans, first with the Cambridge Slavic Chorus, and then with Laduvane, both in Cambridge MA. She...Read More

Peter Stan

Romani Serenade

Peter “Perica” Stan is a Serbian/Romanian Roma accordionist known for his playful innovation and soulful, intuitive improvisations. Eva Salina and Peter draw on a long musical friendship,...Read More

Jane Sugarman

Culture Talk on Albanian Music

Jane Sugarman's research focuses on music's role in processes of identity formation, with particular attention to communities in and from Southeastern Europe and the Middle East. Her 1997 book...Read More

Sandy Theodorou

Greek Serenade

Sandy Theodorou is a vocalist, accordion, and laouto player who specializes in traditional Greek regional music and Greek urban rebetika. She was born in Pireas, Greece, and her family roots are...Read More

Zlatne Uste Balkan Brass Band

Balkan Brass Dance Set

The foremost presenters of traditional Balkan brass music in the US, Zlatne Uste's repertoire spans the most important stops in the traditional music of the Balkans. ZU has been a six-time invited...Read More

Schedule

Schedule subject to change. All times in Eastern.

Friday, August 14 (all times in Eastern)
5:30 p.m. — “Campground” opens—time to explore! Orientation at 5:45
6:30 p.m. — Serenade with Eva Salina & Peter Stan
7:00 p.m. — Serenade with Sandy Theodorou & Revma
7:30 p.m. — Dance Party begins
7:30 p.m. — Greek Brass with Lefteris Bournias, Michael Ginsburg, Belle Birchfield, Morgan Clark, & Seido Salifoski
8:15 p.m. — Albanian with Merita Halili & Raif Hyseni
9:00 p.m. — Bulgarian with Donka Koleva & Nikolay Kolev
9:45 p.m. — Kafana opens!

Saturday, August 15 (all times in Eastern)
10:00 a.m. — “Campground” opens—breakfast and hangout time. Tech FAQs answered beginning 10:15
11:00 a.m. — Gŭdulka with Nikolay Kolev
11:00 a.m. — Kids’ Simple Song with Aaron Kisslinger
12:30 p.m. — Break for Lunch
1:30 p.m. — Balkan Rhythms with Polly Tapia Ferber
3:00 p.m. — Romani Singing with Eva Salina
3:00 p.m. — Balkan Rhythms for Kids with Jaquetta Bustion & Matt Moran
4:40 p.m. — Snack Break
5:00 p.m. — Turkish Dance with Ahmet Lüleci
5:00 p.m. — Bulgarian Singing with Donka Koleva
6:30 p.m. — Culture Corner on Albanian Music with Jane Sugarman (bring your dinner!)
7:30 p.m. — Dance Party begins
7:30 p.m. — Balkan Brass with Zlatne Uste Balkan Brass Band
8:15 p.m. — Romanian & More with Sergiu Popa
9:00 p.m. — Greek Island with Beth Bahia Cohen
9:45 p.m. — Kafana opens!

Sunday, August 16 (all times in Eastern)
10:00 a.m. — “Campground” opens—Sunday Brunch
11:00 a.m. — Balkan Dance with Michael Ginsburg
12:30 p.m. — Break for Lunch/EEFC Board Office Hour
1:30 p.m. — Tapan with Matt Moran
3:00 p.m. — Jam/Teaching Session on Complex Balkan Rhythms with Ralph Iverson
4:30 p.m. — Snack Break
4:40 p.m. – 4:50 p.m. — Therapeutic Treatment: Tuba Bath!
5:00 p.m. — ‘Southern’ Balkan Group Sing with Corinna Snyder, Kristina Vaskys, Adam Good & Matt Moran

FAQs

General

I love what the EEFC is doing. Where can I donate to support more of this work?
You can donate via Paypal or via our website.

Will music and video be available?
Class materials, such as lyrics and song files, will be made available to campers at the teacher’s discretion. See the Resources & Materials tab on this page.

I’ve rolled up the rugs in my living room and am ready to boogie, but I don’t know any of the dances!
Make sure to get to the dance party on time! Experts will provide brief demonstrations of one or two of the dances featured before each evening set begins.

Technical

Do I need a Facebook account to participate?
No. We are using Sococo and Zoom. Beginning Wednesday, August 12, campers will receive a link to an orientation video and will be invited to join the Sococo platform and begin exploring.

With which browsers is Sococo compatible?
Only Google Chrome browser is supported by the Sococo web app. Campers have also had success with Microsoft Edge. If you do not want to use Google Chrome, you must download the Sococo desktop app. It has additional features to facilitate use and troubleshooting. However, desktop applications are only available for Windows and macOS, and using the Google Chrome browser is the best option for Linux and other users. If you want to skip Sococo altogether, we provide a “cheat sheet” with links to all the Zoom meetings, so you don’t have to miss a thing!

How can I avoid lag on Zoom?

• Turn off your camera. As much as we love to see you, this will improve the flow of data.
• Close all other applications on your computer. It’s best if Zoom is the only thing running.
• Reduce other activities that steal bandwidth like large downloads or family members watching Netflix on the same internet connection during class.

Class Materials & Resources for Download

page updated 8/18/20

Greek Serenade with Sandy Theodorou
Friday, 7:00 p.m.
Sing-along song lyrics PDF

KAFANA: Trans-Carpathian Jam with Ralph Iverson
Friday, 9:45 p.m.
Music chart collection PDF

Nikolay Kolev – Gŭdulka
Saturday, 11:00 a.m.
Kargonski Buenek audio file
Kargonski Buenek – music chart PDF

Aaron Kisslinger – Simple Song for Kids
Saturday, 11:00 a.m.
Pjevaj Mi, Pjevaj, Sokole – song lyrics PDF
Pjevaj Mi, Pjevaj, Sokole – music chart PDF
Pjevaj Mi, Pjevaj as sung by Zdenko Nikšić – YouTube link

Polly Tapia Ferber – Doumbek/Balkan Rhythms
Saturday, 2:00 p.m.
Doumbek Finger & Hand Positions PDF
Rhythm Patterns PDF

Eva Salina – Romani Singing
Saturday, 3:00 p.m.
Bre Čhaveja Dilineja – song lyrics PDF
Bre Čhaveja Dilineja, as sung by Beba Ibišević – audio file

Jaquetta Bustion & Matt Moran – Intro to Balkan Rhythms for Kids
Link to Google Slides with class song lyrics