Youth Ensemble
Greg Jenkins
Greg is back to teach Kids Band! From the San Francisco Bay Area, he is a professional musician and educator who is known for his skill and passion for the music of the Balkans on clarinet, alto saxophone, and voice. First exposed to this music through his parents, longtime Balkan Folk Dancers, he attended his first workshop at the EEFC’s Balkan Music & Dance Camp in Mendocino at age 13 and discovered life-long passions for Greek music and Balkan Brass. He went on to become an instructor there, guiding the Kids Band since 2001 as well as teaching Kids Band (2009-2012) and Balkan Brass (2013) at balkanalia! in Portland, OR. Additional teaching includes Balkan Brass at Zambaleta (2009-11) and at the California Kolo Festival.Greg, a founding member of Brass Menazeri, can currently be seen with the Greek folk band Agapi Mou, the Greek laika band Helios, the Rebetika group The Disciples of Markos, the Turkish/Balkan reed and drum band MWE, and directing the Balkan Brass Band Fanfare Zambaleta. He is also in high demand as featured performer and collaborator with artists such as Lily Storm, Zoe Blank, Justine Lucas, Mediterranean Soul, Stellamara, Janam and Inspector Gadje.
Kids Activities
Fiore Grey
Fiore brings her priceless creativity back to teach a kids class at Balkanalia. In past years, she has helped Balkanalia kids build Kukeri (traditional Balkan masks) for a parade on the final day of camp, and choreographed songs and dances for the children to perform on Sunday night. In addition to sharing music and dance with the kids, her classes typically involve arts, crafts, theatre games, face painting, nature activities, storytelling, and imaginative play. Fiore strives to make her classes accessible to a range of ages, meeting kids wherever they’re at developmentally. She loves the multi-age aspect of the kids class, and takes particular delight in nourishing friendships and mentorships between the children during their time at Balkanalia—the kids class becomes a village within a village. Parents who enroll their children can expect to have childcare for the majority of each day at camp, meaning they’re freed up to attend workshops while the kids are busy having fun together!
Fiore is a mother of two wonderfully creative children, whom she homeschooled in the past. In addition to a background in vocal pedagogy, Fiore has training in child development and attachment theory, and has studied a range of approaches to education, including Montessori, Waldorf, unschooling, nature schooling, and project-based learning. A lifelong lover of performance studies, ethnomusicology, and folk art traditions, in 2014 she began singing with Dunava, a Seattle-based women’s choir specializing in the folk harmonies of Eastern Europe. The group performs regularly throughout the Northwest, often collaborating with other music and dance ensembles, and has recorded three CDs.