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Recent Posts

Post-Presidential Reflections from Kristina Vaškys
Our Year in Review: 2023
Spring 2023 Letter to the Community
Our Year in Review: 2022
Craig Kurumada Changes Gears
Recenter. Regather. Renew.
2022 Workshops – Our Decision To Cancel
East Coast Virtual Camp 2021 Teacher Highlights
Our Year in Review: 2021
Our Year in Review: 2020
Fall 2020 Letter to the Community
Mid-Year Report: 2020
Our Year in Review: 2019
FY2019 Financials – Income & Expense charts
Meet Our Newest Board Member
Membership FAQs
Strategic Vision 2019
Camp Cabins Are Not Just Where We Sleep
Tips for Scholarship Applicants
Meet Our Newest Board Members
The Final Survey
FY2018 Financials – Income & Expense charts
Our Year in Review: 2018
Special Thanks: 2018
Summary: Spring 2018 Board Meeting
Tips & Tricks: Financing Your Trip to Balkan Camp
Growing Live Music
Volunteer Spotlight: Camille Holmes
FY2017 Financials – Income & Expenses
Post Balkan Camp Disorder (PBCD)
Running Sound at Balkan Camp: Tips and Tricks
Jamming at Camp – Your Opinions Wanted!
EEFC 2017 Spring Board Meeting Message from the President
FY2016 Financials – Income & Expenses
Spread the Word
EEFC 2016 Fall Board Meeting Report
Macedonian Čalgija Musicians at Mendocino
Get the Official Registration Badge
Social Media 101: Youth to the Rescue or How to Promote the EEFC on Facebook
A Good Year for Giving!
FY2015 Financials – Income & Expenses
Just What Does the EEFC Board Do?
Supporting the Čoček Nation Youth Scholarship
FY2014 Financials – Income & Expenses
Fall 2015 Board Meeting Summary Letter
EEFC 2015 Fall Board Meeting Report
A Few Changes to Membership
2015-2016 Fundraising Appeal
Bay Area EEFC Scholarship Created
EEFC Donation Stores
Party on at Balkan Camp in Mendocino!
EEFC and the Great Ripple Effect
A Banner Year for Scholarships
Kukeri in the Woodlands—Become a Magical Beast of the Forest
The 2014 Iroquois Springs Photo DVD from Margaret Loomis
Meet Volunteer Jenna Shearer, Marketing & Communications Committee
Spring 2015 Board Meeting Summary Letter
EEFC 2015 Spring Board Meeting Report
Letters to the Community — from the Board of Directors and Rachel MacFarlane
East Coast EEFC Community Forum in Boston
Message from Amy Mills on Behalf of the Board
Yes, you’re in the right place!
Earl Galitz
EEFC 2015 Community Forums
Share Camp. Spread the Word.
Balkan Music and Dance Workshops 2015
West Coast EEFC Community Forums Announced
Richard Herbert “Dick” Forsyth
Update from Executive Director Jay House
Fall 2013 Board Meeting Summary
Six-Month Update from Executive Director, Jay House Samios
Meet & Greet Events in NYC, Bay Area, Seattle, Chicago & Boston
Top 10 Misconceptions about Camp
ED Selection
Comments on ED Role May 2012
Board & Program Committee Update Feb. 2012
EEFC Board Meeting Notes: 1994 —2014
Lanphier_Mendo Percussion Class

So Many Great Reasons…

We know if you’ve ever been to Balkan camp, you will likely agree that it is what has been called “the gold standard.”

We also know that you have a choice when it comes to summer workshops and tours. Many in our community are lucky enough to look forward this summer to attending the festival in Koprivshtica, Bulgaria, an event that only comes ‘round every five years. Make no mistake—we’re happy when we hear that our friends and fellow community members get an opportunity to visit the Balkans. But if you still haven’t made your summer plans, or if your sights aren’t set upon trans-Atlantic travel for whatever reason, consider joining us in the Mendocino Woodlands or the Catskill Mountains this year.

 

The Balkan Music & Dance Workshops are life-changing gatherings.

But don’t take our word for it. Here is a small sample of comments from last year’s workshop attendees:

“The teachers are all tops in their fields—how do you do it?”

“On the slowest day, I learned more than I would in months of study otherwise.”

“Balkan camp is my annual milestone. I actually think of it as the year marker, more than birthdays or anniversaries or New Year’s. I spend the following year practicing what I learned.”

“I love the age range, the shared love of Balkan cultures, and the way we look for what is common, rather than that which divides us.”

“The instruction and faculty are amazing, but I think the other important aspect is the community building—with people near and not so near our homes. Dozens of new faces become dear friends in just a handful of days.”

“To have the opportunity to be in my music head, unencumbered by my daily life for a whole week in a row, is valuable beyond count.”

“The collective love that we all have for this music and dance is a magical thing. Being able to share it in a multi-generational setting is always a wonderful experience. And the opportunity to learn from tradition-bearers in such an intimate setting is just fantastic.”

“EEFC workshops are incredibly special to me. I feel completely at home, welcomed, embraced, by the whole EEFC community, which is incredibly validating, and I am carried along all week by a huge wave of joy at being with so many other people who love music and dance so much. Even more important to me than all of this, however, are the teachers who share their art with such generosity and love. I am always moved and inspired by their example, and every year I leave camp feeling nourished, refreshed, and ready to give what I have to give over the course of the next year in the context of my own life.”

“Being completely immersed in such musical excellence and variety for an entire week is incomparable. It is the anti-Twitter!!”

 

Convinced?

Register now for Mendocino or Iroquois Springs.

And NOTE: To encourage you to sign up, we are waiving the after-deadline tuition surcharge! But hey, even if you aren’t joining us this summer, take Craig Kurumada’s 10-Camper Pledge and help spread the word. You, my friends, are EEFC’s best ambassadors.