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East European Folk Music Ensemble
MUS 390/690
Mark Levy, director

East European Folk Music Ensemble Instrumentalists and vocalists are invited to join this performance ensemble to learn South Slavic and Rom (Gypsy) dance music from the Balkans (especially Bulgaria and Macedonia), as well as village and urban folk music from neighboring regions of Eastern Europe. Students are exposed to melodic modes, melodic ornamentation, and metric patterns not generally found in Euro-American classical or popular traditions. Instrumentalists learn to improvise within these modal and rhythmic frameworks. Singers focus on traditional methods of vocal production.

The course is open to anyone (music majors and non-majors) who has an interest in learning singing styles of the Balkans, OR has playing ability on any of the following instruments: any brass instrument (trumpet, cornet, baritone horn, trombone, tuba, etc.), clarinet, saxophone, violin, accordion, drums, and acoustic or electric guitar and bass. Other instruments may also be appropriate.