CMHS AGMM and Special Event: Balkan Echoes

                                                                                                  

Tony Markovsky (President of CMHS) welcomed everyone to the 23rd Annual Meeting of the CMHS.  He explained that this day, May 4th, was one of the darkest days in Macedonian history when Gotse Delchev was ambushed and killed.  In his honour and in honour of all heroes who gave their lives for all people in Macedonia he, on behalf of the CMHS, laid fresh flowers at the base of the monument in front of St. Clement’s Church in Toronto.  He asked everyone to stand for one minute of silence in honour and respect.

He thanked the board members for their dedication and hard work all year. He reminded the members of the CMHS mandate and stated that all other Macedonian organizations should support the Society to preserve all things Macedonian.   He has initiated contacting Macedonian organizations for their co-operation and input.

We had a productive year with well attended lectures.  Virginia Stoymenoff has initiated an interview program of documenting life stories and achievements of our Canadian Macedonians, and all our past VHS interview tapes of 20 years ago have now been transferred to digital DVDs.  Alex Nitsis has taken on the huge job of updating our website.

He gave special thanks to the Canadian Macedonian Place for the privilege of using their space in the basement.  We have amassed a large amount of paraphernalia and books over the years.  However, it is time to look for other premises for the Society, for a Canadian Macedonian Museum/Cultural Centre.  This is a long-term plan for the Society.

          

We had a guest speaker following the AGMM, Mr. Martin Koenig, a nationally recognized dance ethnographer and cultural specialist.  The president called on Virginia Evans to introduce him.  She thanked the United Macedonian Diaspora for letting us know about Martin Koenig and that he was going to be in Toronto.  Martin Koenig is a renowned ethnographer who made numerous trips to the Balkans, devoting himself to recording, photographing, and describing the unique tradition of Macedonian music and the social life in which it was created, a tradition and social setting that have in the fifty years since then nearly totally been lost to humanity.

Mr. Koenig gave a very informative and passionate talk about his interest in Macedonian music and dance and his collaboration with the Smithsonian Institute to preserve the music there by producing a CD of his research and findings. He presented a video of photographs and music that will be included in the recordings he is making with the Smithsonian.

The budget for the project is approximately $72,000 of which the Smithsonian putting up a third.  He has fundraised another third, and then got together with Meto Koloski whose UMD board members have put up a match of up to $12,000.  He is looking for about $20,000 more in donations.  Alex Nitsis showed how to donate directly through the CMHS website.  Olga Sandolowich, a member and folk dance instructor, stated how important it is to preserve this music and was grateful that Martin was able to do this through a prestigious institute like the Smithsonian.

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, is a division of the U.S. national museum, the Smithsonian Institution. According to the Smithsonian "they are collaborating with Mr. Koenig to produce a publication with extensive notes and photographs to accompany the recordings he made of Macedonian music during the 1960s.

Special thanks to Rob Sandolowich who donated his time and equipment in assisting in Martin koenig's the video and audio presentation.

 

Click on the image below for a direct link to Balkan Echoes!