Zoukology 2026 Review
It was another banner year for Zoukology! Once again our little low key bouzouki/mandolin camp outpaced attendance from previous years. It was a wonderful weekend of familiar faces and new. It’s such a joy to get to know folks year after year by sharing songs, accompaniment ideas, musical concepts, and love of folk!
One bit of feedback we got was that the “what” of Zoukology is not super clear (though that didn’t stop some intrepid folks from attending anyways!), so let me explain…
Basically, it’s a mini music camp! Where most you might attend are located in an outdoor space with camp lodging or cabins or maybe on a college campus, ours takes place at our host Ken Gilman’s house. While it’s a large space (and purpose built to host house concerts!) it does mean attendance size is limited, as we only have space for about three concurrent classes at a time. That intimacy allows for some in-depth time and conversations that I think are harder to get at a larger camp. A lot of attendees are local, but out-of-towners typically stay at hotels or Airbnbs nearby.
Every year Ken, Louis Scuderi, Anne Luna, Steve Smith and myself attend as staff, and we manage all the promo, organization, and logistics on top of teaching and performing. This year we had a special guest, the wonderful Frances Cunningham, who was such a delight to teach with and a source of inspiration and musical excitement not just for attendees but for us, as well!
As usual, we had our Thursday night gathering to introduce ourselves, discuss the class options for the weekend, and have a little jam and instrument “tasting” as Ken likes to call it. From there, each morning started with Anne’s gentle yoga for musicians, followed by general warm-ups and exercises for everyone before splitting off into two or three groups, typically GDAD vs GDAE, or by genre - Celtic, Americana/blues, or classical. We’ve always kept the format of the camp fluid, allowing attendee requests and interests to help guide and determine at least some of the course material.
Friday night we always have our staff concert, which is open to the public. Ken has a beautiful space specially designed for performances, so it’s always a treat to play there. Every year we collaborate in various subgroups, which keeps everyone on their toes! You can check out the live stream here.
It never lasts long enough! Every year we part ways excited for the next one, taking the great feedback we get and thinking about how to make the next even better. We’ve already settled on Thursday, January 28-Sunday, January 31 for our 2027 dates, so mark your calendar and reach out if you’d like to learn more!
Zoukology staff (l-r): Lindsay Straw, Ken Gilman, Louis Scuderi, Anne Luna, Steve Smith
