2024 Convention: Charlotte, NC
The 44th Annual BDAA Convention:
July 9-13, 2024
Charlotte, NC
Guest Artists
This year we are featuring all new BDAA guest artists, including:
Denis Zhukov – Prima Balalaika
Guzel Safiullina – Prima Domra
Alexander Veprinskiy – Festival Orchestra Conductor
Guzel Safiullina
Prima Domra
Guzel is a musician and teacher with 17+ years of experience. She graduated from the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music in Moscow, Russia, majoring in domra. Guzel is a Laureate of international competitions, and the Grand Prix at the international festival “Mediterranean Legend” in Spain. She now lives in Los Angeles, where she continues to perform and teach.
Alexander Veprinskiy
Orchestra Conductor
Originally from Ukraine, Alexander is currently the conductor of the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra and the Artistic Director of the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble. He is a prolific choral and orchestral arranger, an accomplished pianist. He has composed music for a number of Ukrainian productions, stages musical dramas, and arranges for the Toronto Orchestra and Shevchenko Ensemble
Denis Zhukov
Prima Balalaika
Denis is a prodigious balalaika performer and soloist, and is a Laureate of prestigious international competitions. Denis also teaches and founded a children’s orchestra of Slavic folk instruments. He performs in several innovative musical projects that combine folk and modern music, including “Bryatz Guys“– The new age of balalaika, which truly pushes balalaika to the limit
With Special Guest Artists
Irina and Aleksei Lutcenko
Prima Domra and Bayan Duo
Irina and Aleksei Lutcenko both studied at the Academy of Far Eastern Arts in Vladivostok, Russia. In 2017, the two artists decided to settle in Quebec, Canada. The love of music and the complementarity of their instruments, bayan and domra, are at the origin of the success of this family. The musicians also take an active part not only in the artistic life, but in the social life of Montreal.
Registration
We ask that everyone registers as soon as possible for planning purposes. To facilitate early bookings, registration costs will increase after June 15th.
You can register online if paying by credit card or by mail if paying with a check. If paying by credit card, you must fill out a separate form and pay separately for each person in your family or group (additional credit card payment instructions can be found here). Multiple registrations can be grouped together if paying by mail.
Hotel Location
The convention will be held at the Sonesta Executive Park Hotel in Charlotte, NC. Please use the link above to go directly to the BDAA booking site (or use code 070924BDAA). The special discounted convention rate is $139 per night, which will be honored for 3 days pre-convention and 3 days post-convention if you would like to extend your stay (subject to availability at the time of the reservation). The daily parking fee is waived when using the BDAA special code.
The cutoff date for the BDAA room rate has been extended to 5:00 pm EDT on June 30th, 2024.
The hotel will likely sell out of rooms during the busy summer season, so it’s imperative that you book early!
Scholarship Application
Each year we offer multiple scholarships to cover registration costs for the convention through the Michael Kolos & Walter Kasura Scholarship Fund. Scholarships are available to all BDAA members, whether it is their first convention or not. Anyone who has an interest in Slavic folk music, attending a convention, and has a financial need is welcome to apply.
Note there is a lifetime limit of 2 scholarships per member, but we do have extra resources available through our Youth Initiative Fund for students and young members who have maxed out their scholarship awards. If this is relevant to you, then we encourage you to fill out the scholarship application to request assistance through the Youth Initiative.
The application deadline is Midnight (EDT) on May 12th, 2024
The 2015 scholarship convention attendees
Concert Information
The annual BDAA Festival Concert will be held on Saturday, July 13th, 2024 at 7:30 pm in the ballroom of the Sonesta Executive Park Hotel in Charlotte, NC.
The concert brings together musicians from around the world performing Eastern European and Roma folk music and is the culmination of the BDAA’s annual convention. The performance will feature our virtuoso guest artists with a 60-piece folk orchestra.
Sheet Music Access
When your registration has processed we will email you an access code / login code to download and print copies of the orchestra and workshop music. You can go directly to the link in your email or enter the login information below to be redirected.
Workshops and Daily Schedule
The convention starts Tuesday, July 9th at ~5:30 PM with orchestra rehearsal. We will break for dinner and then have a performance and welcome party Tuesday night at ~8:00 PM.
This year we are offering many of our classic (and favorite) workshops, alongside some new ones.
2024 Preliminary Workshop Schedule
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- Balalaika technique, balalaika choir, and beginning lessons
- Domra technique, domra choir, and beginning lessons
- Bayan / accordion
- Balkan folk dance
- Chorus
- Festival orchestra
- Music lectures
- Evening concerts, open mic, and jamming
- And more to be announced!
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How do I get to Charlotte and the Hotel?
If flying, the best option is the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. There is no shuttle to the hotel, but ride-sharing services, taxis, and car rentals are available. The #60 Bus also goes from the airport to the the hotel area.
Before You Leave for Charlotte:
- Bring items for the auction – anything you think will help raise money for the BDAA and the Scholarship Fund.
- Print your sheet music. Music for the orchestra and all workshops (except for beginning classes) are posted online.
- Pack a nice outfit for the banquet on Friday night.
- If playing in the orchestra, bring an ethnic costume or orchestra attire (black & white or all black) for the concert on Saturday. See below for extra details.
- Bring a music stand if you can.
- Bring jamming books & lead sheets for the evening parties. All types of music are welcome at the jam – we want a diverse our jamming repertoire.
- Email your coordinators at BDAA.board (at) gmail.com if you have convention questions!
Festival Orchestra Attire & Costumes
As a multi-ethnic organization, there is no standard BDAA folk costume for the festival concert. We represent multiple countries and cultures and let everyone wear the folk attire they want to, resulting in a beautiful and colorful smorgasbord on stage. If you are new and do not have a folk costume, people will often bring extra costumes / accessories you may be able to borrow. If not, you can wear the classic all black, or black & white orchestra attire for the concert.
With the recent political strife in Eastern Europe, we understand that some musicians may feel strongly about wearing or not wearing the costumes of certain countries in either protest or in solidarity. We support each orchestra member deciding to dress as their conscience may dictate.
Workshop Leaders & Convention Team
Denis Zhukov – Balalaika Choir / Balalaika Technique
Guzel Safiullina – Domra Choir / Domra Technique
Alexander Veprinskiy – Chorus / Music Lecture
Originally from Ukraine, Alexander is currently the conductor of the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra and the Artistic Director of the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble. He is a prolific choral and orchestral arranger, an accomplished pianist. He has composed music for a number of Ukrainian productions, stages musical dramas, and arranges for the Toronto Orchestra and Shevchenko Ensemble
Aleksei & Irina Lutcenko – Bayan & Beginning Domra
Irina and Aleksei Lutcenko both studied at the Academy of Far Eastern Arts in Vladivostok, Russia. In 2017, the two artists decided to settle in Quebec, Canada. The love of music and the complementarity of their instruments, bayan and domra, are at the origin of the success of this family. Russian folk music has conquered the hearts of many audiences in Russia, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Canada thanks to the interpretation of these two musicians and the original sound of their instruments. The musicians also take an active part not only in the artistic life, but in the social life of Montreal: their performances are warmly welcomed by residents of long-term centers, rehabilitation centers and palliative care.
Tetiana Khomenko – Beginning Balalaika
Balalaika Soloist Tetiana (Tanya) Khomenko graduated with honors from the Glier Institute of Music in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2004. She studied at the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy and was active in the folk department of the Academy, graduating in 2012 as Master of Music with honors as a concert performer and teacher of balalaika. From 2000 to 2005, she was a soloist of the National Orchestra of Folk Instruments which performed in several European countries and Iran. She currently is the concertmaster of the orchestra of folk instruments of the Glier Kyiv Institute of Music, while also performing and teaching at many venues. Tetiana attended her first BDAA convention in 2014 in Kalamazoo, and in 2015, 2017, and 2022 she was the BDAA’s balalaika guest artist.
Sarah Jane Nelson – Lecture on Sasha Polinoff
Sarah Jane Nelson is an author and musical performer based in New England. Her book Ballad Hunting with Max Hunter: Stories of an Ozark Folksong Collector was released last year by the University of Illinois Press as part of their Music in America Series. Thanks to Eastern European grandparents in Hartford, Connecticut and an accordion-playing father who loved the “old” tunes, the balalaika music of Sasha Polinoff formed her earliest soundscape. She is currently deep into research on the life of Polinoff and his greater musical community. A multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Sarah Jane has an abiding interest in North American musical traditions—from the old-time string band music of Appalachia and the Ozarks to the Eastern European dance tunes that found their way into early and mid-century nightclubs in Montreal and New York City. Sarah Jane is currently studying balalaika technique with Tetiana Khomenko and looks forward to continuing her conversations with the other learned members of the BDAA.
Billy Burke – Balkan Folk Dancing
William (Billy) Burke has been involved with the dance of different cultures since he was a preschooler. Growing up he danced with many different amateur groups in the San Francisco Bay area. He toured professionally with the Don Cossack Choir. Moving to Los Angeles and joining the AMAN Folk ensemble he became a lead dancer. He was also the original director of the AMAN touring company. His teaching experience spans over 5 decades including 37 years teaching ethnic dance in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He has also presented master classes in Balkan dance at several universities and dance camps. He has approached his craft with the following thought: “The joy of celebrating a culture through its music and dance is to be found in the head, heart, and soul of the performer. To do so in one’s own culture is a duty, to do so in the culture of others, an honor.”
2024 Sponsors / Donors
The BDAA is a non-profit organization that relies on the generosity of our members, donors, and sponsors.
We are seeking additional donations and sponsorships for the concert. If you would like to donate and be recognized here and in our concert playbill / program booklet as an individual or as an organization please click below to go directly to the donation site or email BDAA.board (at) gmail.com for more info.
2024 Benefit Concert Donors
- Maxwell McCullough and Francie Fite
- Diana Metzger
- Paul Cooper
- Celia Homer
- Laura Schmidt
- Victor Gorodinsky
- Bill Parsons
- Jason Marzuola
- Leon Bialkowski
- Louise Ditchey