- [Announcer] Funding for this program was made possible by the members of WQED and the Allegheny Regional Asset District.

Thank you.

(energetic orchestral music) - Welcome to the show.

- We are the longest running for variety act in the United States.

- Our group started in 1937- - As a humble orchestra.

(melodious orchestral music) (performers singing in a foreign language) - Over the years, we've entertained audiences- - Around the world.

(performers singing in foreign language) - During the week, we are all college students in the Pittsburgh area.

- But on weekends, we wear costumes from cultures that we adore.

(melodious traditional-style music) - Our show has changed over time.

- But the cultures we celebrate are all the same.

- Full of diversity.

- And charm.

- Beauty and texture.

- We take the stage together- - To preserve our immigrant past.

(melodious accordion music) - Stay tuned for a trip around the world.

- Through music... - Song... - And dance.

- We are... - We are... - We are the Tamburitzans.

(audience applauding and cheering) (energetic Croatian-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) (energetic Croatian-style music) (audience member whistling loudly) (melodious Croatian-style music) (audience cheering and applauding) (melodious Croatian-style music) (audience member whistling) (melodious Croatian-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) (performers singing in a foreign language) (melodious music) (audience cheering) (audience applauding) (melodious Croatian-style music) (performers singing in a foreign language) (melodious Croatian-style music) (performers vocalizing) (energetic Croatian-style music) (performers exclaiming in a foreign language) (melodious Croatian-style music) (performers singing in a foreign language) (energetic Croatian-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) (energetic Croatian-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) (melodious music) (audience applauding) (energetic Georgian-style music) (audience applauding) (rhythmic drumbeat music) (swords clinking together) (rhythmic drumbeat music) (swords clinking together) (rhythmic drumbeat music) (energetic Georgian-style music) (audience applauding) (energetic Georgian-style music) (audience applauding) (energetic Georgian-style music) (audience applauding) (drum beating rhythmically) (swords clinking together) (drum beating rhythmically) (energetic Georgian-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) (melodious music) (audience applauding) (melodious Norwegian-style music) (audience applauding) (melodious Norwegian-style music) (audience applauding) (melodious Norwegian-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) (melodious Norwegian-style music) (audience applauding) (melodious Nordic-style music) (performers clapping rhythmically) (melodious Nordic-style music) (audience applauding) (melodious Nordic-style music) (audience applauding) (melodious Nordic-style music) (audience applauding) (melodious music) (audience applauding) (energetic Nordic-style music) (audience applauding) (melodious music) (audience applauding) (melodious Finnish-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) - 5, 6, 7, 8.

And 1, 2- - There's a lot of moving pieces going on.

We're having dance rehearsals and music rehearsals.

(melodious flute music) Camp in one word would probably be... - Stressful.

- Chaos.

- Hectic.

- Exhausting.

- Fun.

- An adventure.

- Can I curse?

- We are at Bethany College which is the location for our annual summer training camp.

The Tamburitzan machine can't function without starting at our training camp, which is where the students learn the show that they'll then do for the next academic year.

We need to get them into this kind of enclosed environment for 21 days, where they learn two hours worth of songs, dance, and music.

- We're always just go, go, go.

You never stop.

There's always something to be done whether it's you're rehearsing music, learning words in a whole new language, or learning a new dance step.

(performers singing in a foreign language) - From the top again.

- A student can come into training camp and be given about 400 sheets of music and be told in, you know, two, three weeks, you gotta know this by heart to take it on the road and go do a show.

- 16, 16, 8, da-da-da, da-da-da.

- Spending 21 days together nonstop feels so long because there's just so much packed into one day.

As we're nearing the end of camp, it really just feels like the days start flying because we start to think about how much stuff still needs to be done.

- We're out of rehearsal mode, we're going into performance mode, and we'll do everything full up.

- Dress rehearsal day is always a lot of stress because it is the first time we'll have run all the material in tandem.

- We're learning so much information so fast, but you don't really...

It's hard to like, keep track of all the dances and like, all the steps.

It feels really good whenever we pull everything together and make a good show.

(energetic music) (audience applauding and cheering) (melodious Polish-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) (melodious clarinet music) (performers singing in a foreign language) (melodious clarinet music) (performers singing in a foreign language) (melodious Polish-style music) (performers singing in a foreign language) (audience applauding) (melodious clarinet music) (performers singing in a foreign language) (melodious Polish-style music) (audience applauding) (melodious Polish-style music) (audience applauding) (melodious Polish-style music) (audience applauding) (energetic Polish-style music) (audience applauding) (energetic Polish-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) (melodious Polish-style music) (audience applauding) (energetic Polish-style music) - Hey!

(audience applauding) (performers singing in a foreign language) (melodious Polish-style music) (audience cheering and applauding) (energetic Polish-style music) (audience applauding) (energetic Polish-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) (melodious music) (performers vocalizing) (performers singing in a foreign language) (audience applauding) (drumbeat music) (melodious Serbian-style music) (melodious clarinet music) (energetic Serbian-style music) (audience applauding) (energetic Serbian-style music) (performer singing in a foreign language) (melodious clarinet music) (audience applauding) (melodious Siberian-style music) (performer singing in a foreign language) (audience applauding and cheering) - We do several different tours throughout the year whether we're going down to Florida, California, it's always a great experience to travel and take the show on the road, but Camp Tour is perhaps one of our most important because we consider it almost an extension of camp.

- We are headed to Red Wing, Minnesota.

- Minnesota.

(bus honking) - [Coordinator] It's about 15 hours.

Kids drive overnight, sleep on the bus.

(students singing in a foreign language) - [Interviewer] So the whole trip took how long?

- 12 and a half hours driving.

We left Pittsburgh at 9:00 PM, 12, about 13, 14 hours total, including meal stops and rest stops.

- Yeah.

- [Student] This is seven.

- Camp Tour is six shows in seven days, but it's pretty packed with shows.

And again, the more opportunities we get to set up and perform... (melodious clarinet music) It actually gives the artistic director an opportunity to reconfigure the show, to look at some things and say, I may want to adjust this.

- One more time, I couldn't hear you.

- This is the time when we work out a lot of technical issues, work out costume changes, and make some slight changes to the show.

We'll tighten the show up maybe, by a few minutes here or there, but right now, the run time is great and it's just a great place to launch the show.

- I'm really squeezing myself into this.

- I am getting into Bulgarian... - [Student] Whoa!

Excuse me, coming through.

- The show is still being, you know, learned in a lot of ways.

The great thing is that the students are always performers so they're ready to take it out on the road, but the little nuances of how to make a fast change or how to grab the right instrument from the side of the stage, those are the little tweaks that really, you don't learn until those curtains open and the audience is sitting right there.

(melodious music) (audience cheering) (melodious instrumental music) (audience applauding) (melodious Italian-style music) (audience applauding) (melodious Italian-style music) (performer singing in a foreign language) (audience applauding) (melodious music) (performers singing in a foreign language) (audience applauding) (dramatic music) (audience applauding) (performer singing in a foreign language) (audience applauding) (melodious Italian-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) (melodious Italian-style music) (audience applauding) (melodious Italian-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) (melodious Italian-style music) (audience applauding) (energetic Italian-style music) (audience applauding) (melodious Italian-style music) (audience applauding) (performers exclaiming in foreign language) (audience applauding) - Saluté!

(melodious Italian-style music) - Hey!

Hey!

(melodious Italian-style music) - Hey!

(audience applauding) (melodious Italian-style music) (performers singing in a foreign language) - Saluté!

(audience applauding and cheering) (melodious clarinet music) (energetic Macedonian-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) (energetic Macedonian-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) (melodious music) (audience member whistling) (energetic Bulgarian-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) (melodious Bulgarian-style music) (audience applauding) (melodious Bulgarian-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) (melodious Bulgarian-style music) (performers singing in a foreign language) (audience applauding) (energetic Bulgarian-style music) (performers singing in a foreign language) (audience applauding and cheering) (energetic Bulgarian-style music) (audience applauding) (energetic Bulgarian-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) (energetic Bulgarian-style music) (audience applauding and cheering) (cheerful music) - [Instructor] In the beginning, she's gonna want all left-handed first and then all right-handed.

- Oh, that's fine.

That's DD material.

(performers singing in a foreign language) - I don't know, the bus stopped.

- I'm a stage gal, not a camera gal.

- [Interviewer] Pretend like you're on stage.

All right, let's do it.

- [Announcer] Funding for this program was made possible by the members of WQED and the Allegheny Regional Asset District.

Thank you.