SUMMER SEMINAR IN COSSACK FOLK MUSIC

[Laura J. Olson]

Dear SEELANG-ovtsy,
        I am posting the following announcement for acquaintances at the Moscow
Conservatory. Please respond to the address at the end of the letter, not
to me. However, I'd be glad to answer questions about the organizers of
this seminar, the trip and the regions they are visiting, since I have
personal knowledge of them. I think it should be a very interesting
seminar, and the music is fantastic.
        --Laura Olson
        U. of Colorado

SUMMER SEMINAR IN COSSACK FOLK MUSIC AT MOSCOW STATE CONSERVATORY - August,
12-26,1999
        The Folk Music Department of the Moscow State Conservatory announces its
second summer seminar, The Singing and Instrumental Traditions of the Don
Cossacks, to take place August 12-26. The seminar will include 6
days of workshops and courses at the Moscow Conservatory, and a 7-day
field expedition to Cossack villages in the Volgograd region of Russia.
Participants will live in home-stay situations. In Moscow, they will be
housed with members of the Moscow State Conservatory Folklore Ensemble;
in the Volgograd area, they will live in Cossack homes. Ethnomusicologist
Natalia Giliarova, Dean of the Theoretical Faculty of the Conservatory and
director of the Folklore Ensemble, will conduct the seminar.
The specific hours of study included in the Moscow portion of the trip
are:
        -Basic genres of Russian folklore                  (4 hours)
        -Singing traditions of the Don Cossacks            (4 hours)
        -The wedding ritual                                (2 hours)
        -Instrumental traditions of the Don Cossacks       (2 hours)
        -Workshops in singing, instruments, and traditional
         dances and games, together with the Moscow Conservatory

         Folklore Ensemble. Includes group field trips to museums and

         parks in Moscow area                              (12 hours)
Lectures, classes, and all songs taught will be translated into English
for those who do not know Russian.  In living situations, every effort will
be made to match non-Russian speakers with English-speaking hosts and/or
roommates.
        In Volgograd, participants will acquaint themselves with the
traditions of the Don Cossacks directly from members of local amateur
ensembles, and will have a chance to observe firsthand how traditions
are carried out today. The Don Cossacks are Russian-speaking people who
settled in the borderlands of Russia during the 16th century. They
evolved particular traditions drawn from their unusual lifestyles and
proximity to non-Russian peoples; their music has been made popular in
Russia through the efforts of numerous revivalist groups, such as the
Dmitri Pokrovsky Ensemble, which has extensively toured the US.
        Both in Moscow and in Volgograd, participants will have ample
opportunity to learn and practice songs and dances outside of scheduled
classes. The seminar will be conducted informally with plenty of
individual attention, so that those with particular interests can pursue
them within the context of the seminar. All skill levels are welcome.
        Cost of the entire seminar, including all living expenses,
transportation within Russia, and classes, is $1370 if there is a total
of 7-10 participants, and $1230 if there are 10-15 participants.
Supplementary cultural programs such as visits to specific museums or
monuments in Moscow can be organized at the wish of the participants for
modest extra cost.
        Those who wish to take part in the seminar should send a letter
by May 1,1999 with the following information, which is
necessary for the issuance of the visa: Full name, date of birth,
address, place of work or study, number of passport, its expiration date
and date and place of issuance, and the desired dates for entry and exit
of Russia, telephone number, and E-mail.
        The letter should be sent by mail, fax or E-mail to:
Dr. Oxana Levko - director of the Seminar
4400 Massachusetts Ave
American University,
Department of Performing Arts
Kreeger Building.#200
Washington D.C., 20016.
tel. (202)885-3438,
fax. (202)885-1092,
E-mail:o_levko at hotmail.com


Laura J. Olson
home:
1830 W. Centennial Dr. #205A
Louisville, CO 80027
(303) 926-7948

work:
Department of Germanic and Slavic
        Languages and Literatures
Campus Box 276
Univ. of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309-0276

(303) 492-7404 main office
(303) 492-5376 fax