Kitka Brings ‘Powerful Women’s Voices, Joined Together’ From East To West

• Posted on Aug 12, 2019

Kitka Brings ‘Powerful Women’s Voices, Joined Together’ From East To Western

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For four years, the Oakland ensemble Kitka has sung intricate harmonies from Eastern Europe. People Shira Cion and Kelly Atkins speak about the team’s brand new record album, Evening celebrity.

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

The daylight is dwindling away. The solstice comes on Friday. So why don’t we listen to some songs that are warming Eastern Europe that celebrate the summer season upon us.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “MOMCI KOLEDARCI”)

KITKA LADIES’ VOCAL ENSEMBLE: (Singing in Bulgarian).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: The record record album “star” features harmonies unique to Balkan, Slavic and Caucasian lands evening. But listed here is the twist – they truly are offered up by Kitka, an ensemble that is vocal of years standing located in the bay area Bay region. Shira Cion could be the group’s creative manager. She joins us through the studios of KQED. Welcome.

SHIRA CION: so excellent to be right here, Lulu. Many thanks.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: additionally with us is Kelly Atkins. She is another Kitkat – i believe that is what you call yourselves, appropriate?

KELLY ATKINS: It Really Is, yes. Hi.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Hi. Shira, i will focus on you. You are quoted when you look at the press notes saying this music springs from the, estimate, “instinct to get together and sing within the deep, dark heart of wintertime.” I enjoy that, in addition. Performs this music help bring the body temperature up?

CION: they really think it most likely does. And it is been interesting. You understand, a lot of studies are now actually being released about type of the real and intellectual and social great things about harmony performing and singing that is choral. And i believe most of the science is simply appearing a thing that Eastern European villagers have actually understood for hundreds of years, which can be that after times are tough, whenever climate are cold, where just asian mail order bride surviving through a challenging period actually calls upon communities in the future together, it really is a time to sing. And I also think singing does raise spirits. It does type of synchronize our organisms together. I truly do think it will help us endure through attempting times.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Kelly, that image regarding the deep, dark heart of wintertime can also be a metaphor, i assume, for the types of music that this will be. Let me know just exactly what – exactly just how it is seen by you.

ATKINS: Well, we additionally utilize the metaphor associated with rounds of life. A few of the tracks, while you probably noticed, through the record album are literally about cold temperatures. Plus some of these are in regards to the cold weather of life. Therefore we sort of see plenty of the tracks that people go through in our own lives that we sing not only about the holidays themselves but about the cycles.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: let us listen to a bit of the name track. It really is a song that is bulgarian “Evening celebrity.”

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “ZVEZDA VECERNICA”)

KITKA LADIES’ VOCAL ENSEMBLE: (Performing in Bulgarian).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: i eventually got to inform you, it is like something profoundly ancient and thrumming. You realize, it comes down – it surely originates from this type of important destination. It certainly does. It is amazing. Kelly, you are understood by me have history as an indie rocker. Just exactly What got you thinking about Eastern European vocal music?

ATKINS: Well, the time that is first saw the Bulgarian Women’s Choir, I became at Grace Cathedral. And I also sat into the pews and simply wept. And I also could not determine what had been taking place in my opinion. Plus it simply rocked me personally on a rather, extremely level that is deep. Therefore I think that has been my gateway medication, even as we call it into the team. Just about everyone has our gateway medication of Bulgarian choir music.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter) Shira, individuals additionally might be amazed to discover that there is really numerous vocal teams right right right here in the usa devoted to Eastern European music. There Is Kitka. There is Planina situated in Denver. There is the Yale Slavic Chorus, which includes been around nearly 50 years. just What do you consider makes.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: . The thereforengs so irresistible to feminine vocalists?

CION: Well, i do believe for the people of us whom i might state determine as liberal US feminists, there is one thing concerning the quality of effective ladies’ sounds joined up with together in this extremely real, really close harmony, often dissonant harmony designs that really interests a contemporary American feminine sensibility.

(SOUNDBITE OF UNIDENTIFIED SONG that is KITKA

KITKA LADIES’ VOCAL ENSEMBLE: (performing in language).

CION: And they are countries where work had been usually split by sex. And ladies had been familiar with producing in community and music that is creating in community. We had been really just referring to this within the greenroom previous today – just how most of us who sing in Kitka are a lot more oriented towards kind of collective and harmony performing than individualistic, soloistic performing. And I also think it type of counters the kind of highly individualistic trend that America values a great deal. It is, like.

CION: . Everyone else to.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: The solamente musician.

CION: . Themself (ph).

CION: The solamente musician. And also this is truly a public type that can definitely just fly whenever there is a residential district of individuals taking part in it.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Let’s pay attention now up to A ukrainian carol from your record.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “V HOSPODARON’KA”)

KITKA LADIES’ VOCAL ENSEMBLE: (Performing in Ukrainian).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: which means this is in fact A ukrainian carol for New season’s. And also you really traveled here a bit straight back and met up by having A ukrainian team. How about your other travels to do in Eastern Europe? What is been the effect from audiences?

ATKINS: we had been in Serbia about – ended up being it 5 years ago?

ATKINS: also it ended up being my first-time with Kitka traveling abroad and singing music that is serbian Serbians. And I also actually ended up being stressed going. I became thinking, whom have always been We as a us to go and sing these tracks in the front of those individuals where, you realize, they will have these deep roots with these tracks? However in reality, we had been gotten extremely warmly. And it also was an experience that is cathartic both the viewers as well as for us.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: therefore, Kelly and Shira, this can be to you both. What is your favorite track in the record?

CION: Oh, which is a challenging one.

CION: What do you believe about maybe “Blazentsv”?

ATKINS: Perhaps “Blazentsv.”

CION: Yeah. This is simply not theoretically a wintertime track. But it’s a track that individuals feel articulates characteristics that individuals all you will need to summon in ourselves through the yuletide season. It really is a musical environment of “The Beatitudes” by the Russian composer Vladimir Martynov. And, you realize, they are calling the listener to embody characteristics of generosity and compassion and kindness, residing just to ensure that other people might merely live and simply because real contentment actually originates from type of going contrary to the grain of greed and egoism and materialism and physical physical violence and residing carefully, living kindly to ensure that other people can have the kingdom of paradise right right here in the world.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: This is certainly a good getaway message. Shira Cion and Kelly Atkins through the Kitka female’s Vocal Ensemble. Their brand new record album is called “Evening Star.” Many thanks both quite definitely.

CION: many thanks a great deal for having us.

ATKINS: many thanks.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “ZAPOVEDI BLAZENSTV/ THE BEATITUDES”)

KITKA LADIES’ VOCAL ENSEMBLE: (Performing in Russian).

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Correction Jan. 18, 2019

A past type of the net summary listed an album name that is incorrect. Kitka’s showcased record is known as Evening celebrity, maybe not Harmonies of Heaven and world.