What is the Yearly Convention?
Members can attend our week-long summer convention held in a different city every year. Attendees have the opportunity to perform, take lessons, participate in workshops and lectures related to Eastern European music and folk traditions, and meet people from all over the world!
We invite world-renowned balalaika, domra, bayan, and choir virtuosos from the US and abroad as guest artists. Our artists put on mini-concerts, give lessons on technique, conduct small ensembles, and share their professional musical expertise with us for a week. For those who sing, dance, or just enjoy learning, we offer choir and folk dance classes, as well as introductory Russian language lessons, Russian & Ukrainian crafts, and ethnomusicology lectures on Eastern Europe.
However, the main feature of the BDAA convention is the 80-100 person balalaika orchestra and Festival Concert we give to the public on the last day. Everyone is invited to participate in the orchestra and play in the concert extravaganza.
