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"Bluegrass Europe" Nr. 86, January-March, ISSM: 2221-5328, interview by Angelika Torrie. |
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Recently, Lilly Drumeva was awarded a Fulbright scholarship! She is going to the USA to pursue her research in the field of bluegrass music. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. It is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries (see http://fulbright.state.gov). So come 2013, for 5 months, Lilly will work and stay in the States studying and researching bluegrass music. The resulting research will be published in a book form and will be available to all bluegrass music fans and all music fans to enjoy. During her work in the US, Lilly will be an ambassador for European bluegrass. BE wanted to know more: BE: Lilly, congratulations on receiving this prestigious grant. How did you find out about this program and what made you apply for it? Lilly: I knew about the Fulbright program
for a long time and have colleagues who have received such grants in different
fields. In Sofia I work closely with the US embassy, organising bluegrass
and country music concerts. Their cultural department advised me to write
a project in the field of bluegrass. I said that I would think about it
and contact the Fulbright office. When I looked at the website, I started
to read and followed the instructions. The Program was established in
1946 by Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas and is sponsored by the
United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs. Approximately 318,000 "Fulbrighters", 120,000 from
the United States and 198,000 from other countries, have participated
in the program, since its inception over sixty years ago. The Fulbright
program awards approximately 8,000 new grants annually, currently, it
operates in over 155 countries worldwide. BE: What exactly are you going to do? Where will you be staying? Lilly: From August till November 2013 I'm
going to conduct research in the US using three main places as my basic
workplace: The International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, Kentuky;
The Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky; The Morehead
State University in Morehead, Kentucky. BE: You mention a book possibly resulting out of this study - what is the concept of this book? Lilly: My project is entitled "Bluegrass
- more than American music" BE: You offered to be an ambassador for European bluegrass - at what kind of events or opportunities do you expect to be able to be present? Lilly: I'm going to attend the annual conference of IBMA in September 2013 as well as bluegrass festivals, music camps and gatherings, happening between August and November 2013. I'm going to have meetings with many people involved in the bluegrass industry, festival organisers, agents, band managers, record labels, songwriters, musicians and others. I'm going to consult university professors in the field of bluegrass and American folk music and collect valuable data among the academic circles. I'll be a bluegrass ambassador during my stay in the US and report to Bluegrass Europe about interesting meetings, findings and developments. I could send fresh interviews with leading bluegrass personalities, photographic material and other interesting news. I'll be happy to convey messages and suggestions from the EBMA board to the bluegrass communities in the US, especially to the IBMA board of directors, staff and members. BE: What in particular are you looking forward to? Lilly: I'm looking forward to having
a thorough and fruitful research in the field of bluegrass music and its
related genres, something for which I didn't have time before now. I have
a plan and a detailed schedule of appointments, meetings, guidelines which
I'm gong to follow. I hope to collect enough material in order to compile
the first book on bluegrass music in Bulgaria. It will be well publicized
and distributed. Also my goal is to organize the first bluegrass festival
in Bulgaria, with its attendant workshops, meetings, lectures, discussions,
documentaries, etc... |
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