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Edited by Morris Dean
[Editor’s Note: In the March 9 edition of this column, Christa Saeger introduced us to two-week intensive programs for students at the American International School of Utah. The school’s latest performing-arts intensive involved a trip to Bulgaria. With permission, we’ve taken some excerpts from the blog “AISUBULGARIAINTENSIVE,” where participants recorded their impressions. Bloggers are identified by their initials.]
From the announcement: Welcome to the 2015 Bulgaria May Intensive Blog by faculty and students at the American International School of Utah! AISU’s performing arts program is grounded in the idea that quality art educates and that quality education is an art. AISU’s top performing arts ensembles will be participating in the International Chamber Music and Dance Festival in Kyustendil, Bulgaria. Trip Dates: May 19th to June 5th, 2015….
From the packing list: Remember to pack light so you can bring lots of souvenirs home!
I think this is the best trip of my life. Even though we had an excruciatingly long flight time and a 2-hour bus ride, it’s my first time out of the country. So far we’ve toured the town and had the best meal ever. –C.M.
I have been in Bulgaria for almost a full day and I have learned so much about the culture and my classmates. I feel safe with everyone on this trip. And that’s a good thing because this is my first time out of the country. I’m glad to say all of the hard work and fundraising is paying off. –J.R.
Traveling to Bulgaria has been the craziest thing I’ve ever done in my life so far. But it’s also the most amazing. Going to this country and learning about their history has really been an eye opener for me and the world has got a little bit bigger in my mind. Bulgaria is a perfect mix of a modern society, rural suburbs with bits of world history thrown in there as well. It’s only the beginning but I can’t wait to see what comes next! –A.S.
I’m really glad to have made it to Kyustendil! It is such a welcoming town, not only its citizens but also the town itself. It is also very quaint and peaceful, perfect for a leisurely stroll any time of day. I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to attend this trip.” –J.C.
Classes begin!:
Day one has been phenomenal. I was able to make my first purchase using Bulgaria leva and try native gelato. For breakfast we ate a flaky, cheese stuffed pastry, similar to a scone. Lunch was a three course meal with lots of different options. I had chicken with potatoes, a soup, bread and for dessert I had a dish that seemed like a mixture of pudding, tapioca, and yogurt. It was amazing. For dinner, I ate a pizza. The food here is one of the best things by far....[Editor’s Note: Only having begun to try to capture some highlights of AISU's Bulgaria intensive, we realized that our readers might rather just go to the “AISUBULGARIAINTENSIVE” blog and sample it for themselves. So...we leave you to it (or not, as you have time and interest). To those who're off there now, care if we tag along with you?
Before lunch, I had a Bulgarian Folk dancing class. It was a little difficult to learn what Mr. Rangel Madzharski was teaching because he didn’t speak any English. Luckily we had someone translate for us and Madzharski’s granddaughters danced with us. They were able to demonstrate the dance to us. I enjoyed folk dancing. We also had language class this morning.
Bulgarian is an interesting language. [It] is a phonetic language. Words are spelled based on what sounds are in the word. For example, my name is Abbie. It had five letters. The two b’s are pronounced as one sound, and the ie only makes one letter sound. In Bulgarian, it has three letters. One letter makes the a sound, one the b sound, and one for the e sound. The language excludes double letters, like in pizza, and silent letters like in gnome. It’s been a rough start, but it has helped. The last activity before dinner we did was attend a violin and piano concert. The music was amazing. I enjoyed hearing all the different Bulgarian compositions. Two of my favorites were a tango and Mr. Geoffrey’s composition, which was a waltz. As a dancer, it was interesting to hear these pieces and imagine the dances as the music was played. It was very authentic music, very traditional and very beautiful. The waltz was fantastic. It was stronger and a lot bolder than other waltzes I’ve heard, but I really enjoyed it. Overall this has been brilliant, and this is only beginning. –A.S.
...we returned to the lobby of the community center and checked the schedule for all of our music lessons. First, I had a piano lesson, then a piano duet coaching, then a voice placement for a chamber ensemble, then lastly a violin lesson. The piano teacher spoke very little English but was very good at communicating in ways other than words, but when she could not find a way to explain her thoughts non-verbally, our guide Valeria was present to translate for me. Directly after my first piano lesson, Ben entered to practice the duet we would play together. I’ve discovered that most of Bulgarian music is written in crazy time signatures such as 7/16 or 13/6, just to name a couple. Later, I attended my voice placement. When I entered the room I was greeted by a nice lady with short white hair. She didn’t speak any English except music terms and the word beautiful. Luckily, Ms. Erica was in there to translate for me.
The singing technique of Bulgarian singing is vastly different from our American technique; the voice teacher wanted me to sing in a very nasal voice and to almost belt anything I sang. She determined I was to sing third part and then had me try to sing along with the piano while she played my part. When the lesson was over, she put her hands on my cheeks and said words that I assumed by her tone were expressing pleased-ness. Then for my last lesson, I had a violin lesson. I was led into a room by my teacher. When we arrived, he had me play a tune of my choice, and since I could not think of anything besides "Twinkle, Twinkle," that is what I played. The teacher spoke very good English, and was a very good teacher.
After all of my lessons I attended a group voice class with the same vocal teacher. Bulgarian students were also singing in the ensemble, and they were all very talented musicians and led us Americans through the piece we were singing.
We also attended a concert. Two incredibly gifted violinists (one of whom was my teacher) and a very talented pianist to accompany some of the pieces. It was a truly virtuoso performance. I can’t believe how perfectly they played seemingly impossible-to-play pieces. All of them were awe-strikingly beautiful and inspiring. They ended the concert by playing all three of them together. This was probably my favorite performance, and I’m glad that we had the opportunity to hear the group perform. All in all, I am very glad that I was offered – and took – this opportunity to come to Bulgaria and learn from professionals from a country besides my own. –J.C.
Hint for navigating the site: Taking the graphic links left-to-right, top-to-bottom will start you off with the latest posting. So, to start at the beginning of the trip, scroll down to the bottom, right-most link.]
| Copyright © 2015 by Morris Dean |
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