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Event
Bulgarian Harmonies: Kitka & Tzvetanka Varimezova in Concert
The sound of Bulgarian women's folk choirs captured the world's imagination when an album entitled "Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares" captured the world's imagination. This now iconic recording sold hundreds of thousands of copies, and exposed millions to the spine-tingling harmonies of Bulgaria's finest women's ensembles.
"The voices are indeed wonderful, and strange. Their powerful, penetrating and resonant sound, produced by an open but carefully focused vocal projection, free of vibrato, but amenable to embellishments such as trills, glottal ornaments and falsetto, fites the unfamiliar modes, rhythms, and harmonies of the songs. The singers sometimes brea into wild slides, whoops, and sudden bursts of speech or showers of nonsense syllables, creating sound-world which is at once alien and familiar." - Songlines Magazine
KITKA is an American womens vocal arts ensemble inspired by traditional songs and vocal techniques from Eastern Europe and Eurasia. The Oakland-based octet has earned international recognition for its distinctive sound, exploring a vast palette of ancient yet contemporary- sounding vocal effects. The ensembles earthy to ethereal timbres evoke an astonishing range of subtle to extreme inner states, instincts, and emotions. Kitkas commitment to presenting traditional song as a living and evolving expressive art form has led to adventurous collaborations with some of the worlds most exciting indigenous musicians and contemporary composers ranging from Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares to Meredith Monk. Currently celebrating its 40th Anniversary season, Kitka began as a grassroots group of amateur singers from diverse ethnic and musical backgrounds who shared a passion for the stunning dissonances, asymmetric rhythms, intricate ornamentation, and resonant strength of traditional Eastern European womens vocal music. Since its informal beginnings, the group has evolved into an award-winning touring ensemble known for its artistry, versatility, and mastery of the demanding techniques of regional vocal styling, as well as for its innovative explorations in new music for women's voices. Kitka's wide-ranging performance, teaching, and recording activities have exposed millions to the haunting beauty of their unique repertoire.
Kitka has been exploring the vocal techniques and diverse styles of Bulgarian traditional and contemporary polyphony for four decades. For the past 18 years, their primary mentor in Bulgarian traditional singing has been Tzvetanka Varimezova.
TZVETANKA VARIMEZOVA
Born to a musical family in Pazardzhik in Bulgarian Thrace, Tzvetanka Varimezova started singing and playing accordion at age 9, and went on to master tambura and piano at the Kotel High School for Folk Music and at the Plovdiv Conservatory. From 1979 to 1996, she performed as a soloist and assistant conductor with the Bulgarian National Folk Ensembles Trakija, Philip Koutev, and Pazardzhik. Since 1989 Tzvetanka has been a soloist and conductor with Cosmic Voices from Bulgaria, Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares; and Les Grand Voix Bulgares, an ensemble specializing in Bulgarian folk and Orthodox music. She has also performed with the Bulgarian Radio Choir and Trio Bojura. With these ensembles and others, she has toured throughout Europe, Russia, Japan, Latin America, and the USA.
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LocationFirst Unitarian Church (View)
685 14th St
Oakland, CA 94612
United States
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| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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