Camps and workshops
Camps in New England/Ontario for Teens
New England Teen Residential Camp
Western Massachusetts
July 16-25, 2010 (9 days)
Val Mindel, Dessislava Stefanova, Carl Linich
THIS CAMP IS FULL.
This is our nine-day camp, especially geared for teenagers new to Village Harmony, as well as for those who can't commit three weeks to a traveling camp. Joining together as a team of teachers are three Village Harmony veteran teachers. Val Mindel will lead the group in close-harmony arrangements of traditional Appalachian and southern American songs and gospel quartets. Dessi Stefanova--currently living in London, but formerly of the Philip Koutev Ensemble in Sofia, Bulgaria--is a brilliant teacher of Bulgarian singing style, and she will lead a set of village songs and choral arrangements from Bulgaria and Macedonia. And Carl Linich will bring gems from his vast repertoire of Georgian songs. Instrumentalists can learn fiddle and string-band tunes with Val for the concert.
The teen residential camp will be in residence at Stump Sprouts Retreat Center in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts.
The nine-day session will culminate with Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon concert performances.
Rehearsal week at Stump Sprouts, Hawley, MA
$675
Leaders
VAL MINDEL, a veteran teacher at Village Harmony, is a versatile teacher, singer and instrumentalist. She focuses on teaching the mechanics of creating harmonies and arrangements as well as singing in small groups, using early American country, Appalachian, gospel and bluegrass repertory. She lives in southern Vermont and leads adult harmony workshops there and around the country, often with daughter and fellow Village Harmony leader Emily Miller. She was a member of the 1970s string band, Any Old Time, has performed and taught in Hong Kong, Canada, Scotland and England, and was a long-time instructor at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music.
DESSISLAVA STEFANOVA moved to England in 2000 straight from the world-famous Philip Koutev National Folk Music and Dance Ensemble in Sofia, Bulgaria. She was immediately in demand to teach the unique Bulgarian singing style so decided to stay and set up singing workshops, and ended up establishing the London Bulgarian Choir. Dessi was born in Stara Zagora and started her (western) classical musical training at the age of five. While at Sofia University, Dessi successfully auditioned for the Philip Koutev Ensemble and continued her career as a professional singer. Since her arrival in London, Dessi has recorded a CD, "Wild Wind A Course in Authentic Bulgarian Singing". She currently sings with story-telling company "A Spell In Time", spearheading vocal trio The Dessibelles and bringing together renowned Balkan musicians in the Orpheus project. This is Dessi's fourth summer teaching with Village Harmony.
CARL LINICH has been leading Village Harmony camps since 2000. A scholar of traditional Georgian folk music since 1990, he lived in Georgia's capital city of Tbilisi for ten years and has a repertoire of hundreds of songs from Georgia's many provinces. He also founded a Georgian folk choir in Tbilisi called Okros Stumrebi, comprised entirely of foreigners from many countries. A member of the Kavkasia vocal trio and a musical celebrity in Georgia, Carl has received national honors in his adopted land for his work to preserve and promote Georgian folk song. Together with his partners in Kavkasia, Carl has recorded three CDs. www.kavkasia.com
Stump Sprouts Retreat Center
West Hawley, Massachusetts
Situated in rural northwest Massachusetts, Stump Sprouts is a rustic multi-season resort and retreat facility. The center of activity is our hand crafted guest lodge, converted dairy barn, and 200 year old farmhouse. Located on 450 acres of woods and meadows, featuring splendid vistas and hiking trails, and organic gardens that will provide vegetables for the kitchen, these unspoiled lands set the stage for two Village Harmony teen retreats this year.