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. People Shira Cion and Kelly Atkins speak about the team’s brand brand brand new record album, Evening celebrity.
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:
The daylight is dwindling away. The solstice comes 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 may be served up by Kitka, an ensemble that is vocal of years standing situated in the San Francisco Bay region. Shira Cion could be the team’s creative manager. She joins us through 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 believe that is what you call yourselves, right?
KELLY ATKINS: It Really Is, yes. Hi.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Hi. Shira, i will begin with you. You are quoted within the press records saying this music springs from the, estimate, „instinct to get together and sing in the deep, dark heart of wintertime.” I enjoy that, by the way. Performs this music help bring the body temperature up?
CION: they really think it most likely does. And it’s really been interesting. You realize, a lot of studies are now actually being released about type of the real and intellectual and social great things about harmony performing and choral performing. And i believe most of the science is simply showing a thing that Eastern European villagers have actually understood for hundreds of years, which will be that after times are tough, whenever climate conditions are cool, where just surviving through a hard period actually calls upon communities to come together, it really is an occasion to sing. And I also think singing does raise spirits. It does kind of synchronize our organisms together. I must say I do think it can help us survive through attempting times.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Kelly, that image for the deep, dark heart of wintertime normally a metaphor, i suppose, associated with type of music that this might be. Let me know just just what – exactly exactly how it is seen by you.
ATKINS: Well, we additionally make use of the metaphor associated with rounds of life. A number of the tracks, while you probably noticed, through the record are literally about cold temperatures. And some of those are concerning the wintertime of life. Therefore we sort of see plenty of the tracks that individuals sing not just in regards to the holiday breaks ukrainian mail order bride by themselves but in regards to the rounds that people undergo within our very own life.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: let us pay attention to a little bit of the name track. It 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 feels as though something profoundly thrumming and ancient. You realize, it comes down – it certainly arises from this type of important destination. It certainly does. It really is amazing. Kelly, you are understood by me have back ground being an indie rocker. Just just What got you enthusiastic about Eastern European vocal music?
ATKINS: Well, the very first time we 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 determine what had been occurring if you ask me. Also it simply rocked me personally on a tremendously, extremely level that is deep. And so I think that has been my gateway medication, once we call it when you look at the team. Just about everybody has our gateway medication of Bulgarian choir music.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter) Shira, individuals additionally can be astonished to find out that there is really numerous vocal teams right right here in the us devoted to Eastern music that is european. There Is Kitka. There is Planina located in Denver. There is the Yale Slavic Chorus, that has been around very nearly 50 years. just exactly What do you consider makes.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: . The thereforengs so irresistible to vocalists that are female?
CION: Well, i believe for many of us whom i might state recognize as liberal US feminists, there is one thing concerning the quality of effective ladies’ sounds joined up with together in this really real, extremely close harmony, often dissonant harmony designs that really interests a modern American feminine sensibility.
(SOUNDBITE OF UNIDENTIFIED SONG that is KITKA
KITKA LADIES’ VOCAL ENSEMBLE: (Singing in language).
CION: And they are countries where work ended up being traditionally split by gender. And females had been used to producing in community and producing music together in community. We were really just speaking about this into the greenroom previous today – just exactly 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 also 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 musician.
CION: . Themself (ph).
CION: The solamente musician. And also this is actually a public type that can really just fly whenever there is a residential district of individuals playing it.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: let us 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: and this is truly a carol that is ukrainian New season’s. And also you really traveled there some time back and met up by having a group that is ukrainian. Think about your other travels to do in Eastern Europe? What is been the effect from audiences?
ATKINS: we had been in Serbia about – was it 5 years ago?
ATKINS: also it had been my first-time with Kitka traveling abroad and performing Serbian music to Serbians. And I also truthfully had been stressed going. I became thinking, whom have always been We being a us to go and sing these tracks right in front among these people where, you understand, they usually have these deep origins with these tracks? However in reality, we had been gotten really warmly. Plus it was an experience that is cathartic both the viewers as well as us.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: therefore, Kelly and Shira, this will be to the two of you. What exactly is your favorite track in the record?
CION: Oh, that is a difficult one.
CION: What do you believe about maybe „Blazentsv”?
ATKINS: Possibly „Blazentsv.”
CION: Yeah. This is simply not theoretically a wintertime track. But it is a track that individuals feel articulates characteristics that individuals all you will need to summon in ourselves throughout the yuletide season. It really is a musical environment of „The Beatitudes” by the composer that is russian Martynov. And, you understand, they are calling the listener to embody characteristics of generosity and compassion and kindness, residing merely in order that other people might merely live and simply because real contentment actually arises from variety of going up against the grain of greed and egoism and materialism and physical physical physical violence and residing carefully, residing kindly in order for other people can have the kingdom of paradise right here on the planet.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: This is certainly a good getaway message. Shira Cion and Kelly Atkins through the Kitka female’s Vocal Ensemble. Their album that is new is „Evening Star.” Thank you 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 net summary listed an album name that is incorrect. Kitka’s showcased record is known as Evening celebrity, perhaps not Harmonies of Heaven and world.