Kitka Brings ‘Powerful Women’s Voices, Joined Together’ From East To Western
Kitka Brings ‘Powerful Women’s Voices, Joined Together’ From East To Western
For four years, the Oakland ensemble Kitka has sung intricate harmonies from Eastern Europe. Users Shira Cion and Kelly Atkins speak about the group’s brand new record record album, Star evening.
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:
The daylight is dwindling away. The solstice arrives on Friday. Therefore why don’t we pay attention to some songs that are warming Eastern Europe that celebrate the summer season upon us.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “MOMCI KOLEDARCI”)
KITKA LADIES’ VOCAL ENSEMBLE: (Performing 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, a vocal ensemble of numerous years standing located in the bay area Bay region. Shira Cion could be the team’s creative director. She joins us from the studios of KQED. Welcome.
SHIRA CION: so excellent to be around, Lulu. Many thanks.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: additionally with us is Kelly Atkins. She actually is another Kitkat – i do believe that is exactly what you call yourselves, appropriate?
KELLY ATKINS: It Really Is, yes. Hi.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Hi. Shira, i’ll begin with you. You are quoted into the press records 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 within the body’s temperature?
CION: they really think it most likely does. And it’s really been interesting. You understand, plenty studies are now actually being released about type of the real and intellectual and social advantages of harmony performing and singing that is choral. And i believe most of the science is simply demonstrating a thing that Eastern European villagers have actually recognized for hundreds of years, which will be that whenever times are tough, when climate are cool, where simply surviving through an arduous period actually calls upon communities in the future together, it is a period to sing. And I also think performing does lift spirits. It does kind of synchronize our organisms together. I must say I do think it can help us endure through attempting times.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Kelly, that image of this deep, dark heart of wintertime can be a metaphor, i suppose, of this variety of music that it is. Let me know exactly just what – just just exactly how you notice it.
ATKINS: Well, we additionally make use of the metaphor regarding the rounds of life. A few of the tracks, while you probably noticed, through the record album are literally about cold weather. Plus some of these are in regards to the cold temperatures of life. Therefore we sort of see plenty of the songs that people sing not merely in regards to the vacations by themselves but in regards to the rounds that people undergo within our very own everyday lives.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: let us tune in to a little bit of the name track. It’s 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 let you know, it feels as though something profoundly ancient and thrumming. You understand, it comes down – it certainly originates from this kind of crucial destination. It surely does. It is amazing. Kelly, i realize you have back ground as an indie rocker. exactly What got you thinking about Eastern European music that is vocal?
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 merely wept. And I also could not figure out just what ended up being occurring for me. Plus it simply rocked me on a tremendously, extremely level that is deep. And so I think that has been my gateway drug, even as we call it within the group. Just about everyone has our gateway medication of Bulgarian choir music.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter) Shira, individuals also can be amazed to discover that there is really numerous vocal teams here in the us focusing on Eastern music that is european. There Is Kitka. There is Planina situated in Denver. There is the Yale Slavic Chorus, which was around nearly 50 years. Exactly exactly What do you consider makes.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: . The music so irresistible to vocalists that are female?
CION: Well, i do believe for people of us whom i might state recognize as liberal US feminists, there is one thing in regards to the quality of effective ladies’ sounds joined up with together in this extremely physical, extremely close harmony, often dissonant harmony designs that actually attracts a modern American female sensibility.
(SOUNDBITE OF UNIDENTIFIED KITKA SONG)
KITKA LADIES’ VOCAL ENSEMBLE: (performing in spanish).
CION: And they are countries where work ended up being usually split by sex. And females had been familiar with producing in community and music that is creating in community. We had been really just discussing this within the greenroom previous today – just how many of us whom sing in Kitka are a lot more oriented in direction of kind of collective and harmony performing than individualistic, soloistic performing. And I think it type of counters the kind of highly trend that is individualistic America values a great deal. It is, like.
CION: . Every person to.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: The solamente artist.
CION: . Themself (ph).
CION: The solamente musician. And this is truly a public kind that really can just fly whenever there is a residential district of individuals taking part in it.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Why don’t we 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 truly A ukrainian carol for New season’s. And also you really traveled here some time straight straight back and met up with a group that is ukrainian. Think about your other travels to do in Eastern Europe? What’s been the effect from audiences?
ATKINS: we had been in Serbia about – ended up being it 5 years ago?
ATKINS: also it was my first-time with Kitka traveling abroad and performing music that is serbian Serbians. And I also genuinely had been stressed going. I became thinking, whom have always been I being a us to go and sing these tracks in the front of these individuals where, you realize, they usually have these roots that are deep these songs? However in fact, we had been gotten extremely warmly. Plus it really was an experience that is cathartic both the viewers as well as for us.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: therefore, Kelly and Shira, this is certainly to the two of you. What is your favorite track in the record?
CION: Oh, that is a hardcore one.
CION: What do you consider about maybe “Blazentsv”?
ATKINS: Perhaps “Blazentsv.”
CION: Yeah. This is not technically a cold temperatures song. But it is a track that people feel articulates characteristics that individuals all you will need to summon in ourselves throughout the festive season. It is a musical environment of “The Beatitudes” by the Russian composer Vladimir Martynov. And, you realize, they are calling the bridestobe review listener to embody characteristics of generosity and compassion and kindness, living just to make certain that others might merely live and simply because contentment that is true originates from form of going against the grain of greed and egoism and materialism and physical violence and residing carefully, residing kindly making sure that other people can have the kingdom of paradise right right here on the planet.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: This is certainly a holiday message that is good. Shira Cion and Kelly Atkins through the Kitka female’s Vocal Ensemble. Their album that is new is “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 form of the internet summary listed an album name that is incorrect. Kitka’s showcased album is named Evening celebrity, perhaps not Harmonies of Heaven and world.
