Tambura
Tom Farris
Tom Farris will teach Macedonian tambura. Bulgarian tamburas are also welcome!
Tom has been playing in Bay Area Balkan bands since 1994. He is a multi-instrumentalist and plays a variety of stringed instruments and drums, and has a special love for Macedonian village music and tambura. Tom played in the bands Anoush, Debela Machka Izvorno, and Brass Menažeri, and is currently a member of The Helladelics, Zabava, Janam, and Orkestar Unbound. In addition, Tom writes his own music and has spent the past several years playing music from Northeast Thailand.
Tom has been playing in Bay Area Balkan bands since 1994. He is a multi-instrumentalist and plays a variety of stringed instruments and drums, and has a special love for Macedonian village music and tambura. Tom played in the bands Anoush, Debela Machka Izvorno, and Brass Menažeri, and is currently a member of The Helladelics, Zabava, Janam, and Orkestar Unbound. In addition, Tom writes his own music and has spent the past several years playing music from Northeast Thailand.
Accordion
Michael Lawson
Michael Lawson returns to Balkanalia to teach accordion.
Michael began playing accordion for his college folk dance club in 1973 and since then has played for parties, festivals and weddings in the International Folk Dance Scene on the West Coast as the band leader of Nišava, Balkan Cabaret, and Kafana Republik. Michael has been on staff for the East European Folklife Center Mendocino Balkan Music Camp, Stockton Folk Dance Camp, Mendocino Folklore Camp, Balkanalia, and Port Townsend’s Voice Works workshop.
Michael is currently the director of the Bulgarian Voices of Seattle, a choir of Bulgarian women who perform the songs of their home country. He is also the “Osem” of the Balkan duo Osem i Devet (with David “Devet” Bilides) (at Balkanalia this year).
Percussion
Dan Auvil
Dan Auvil returns to Balkanalia to teach Balkan percussion for all levels, all drums!
It was love at first sight 30 years ago when Dan saw the large, two-headed tupan. He has been playing and teaching internationally ever since. Dan is a founding member of the bands Édessa, Ziyiá and Trio Zulum, and currently plays with Janam in the Bay Area.