Best of Bay Area Events Blog

KITKA Women’s Vocal Ensemble presents:

Kitka and Balkan Cabaret: Nostalgic Cafe Songs from Eastern Europe

DATE/TIME:

Sunday, April 27

8:00pm-10:00pm

LOCATION:

First Unitarian Church of Oakland

685 14th St.

Oakland, CA, 94612

510-893-6129

http://www.uuoakland.org

COST & REGISTRATION:

Advance: $21 general, $18 seniors & students/Door: $25 general, $20 seniors & students/Kids under 12 FREE!/Discounts for groups!

http://www.kitka.org

MORE INFO:

Website: http://www.kitka.org

Email:   info@kitka.org

Phone:   510-444-0323

Contact: Shira Cion, Executive Director

DESCRIPTION:

Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble joins forces with Seattle’s Balkan Cabaret to share the passionate poetry of traditional ballads and beloved standards from the cafes and cabarets of old Eastern Europe. Offerings will span “sevdah” songs of love and longing from Bosnia and Herzegovina, sweetly harmonized Croatian folk songs, nostalgic “starigradski” tunes from Bulgaria, and much more. Whether sitting back and listening or on your feet dancing, these soulful musicians will transport you to a time and place when feelings, reflection and community were not so overwhelmed by the rush of technology.

Twice voted “Best World Music Band” by the Seattle Weekly, Balkan Cabaret is comprised of vocalist Mary Sherhart, fiddler/clarinetist Joe Finn, accordionist/vocalist, Michael Lawson, bassist/vocalist Rich Thomas and multi-instrumentalist Steve Ramsey. The band will be joined for these performances by acclaimed Croatian-American vocalist and multi-instrumentalist John Morovich. Balkan Cabaret’s performances are marked with a warmth and flair has been enthusiastically embraced by ethnic audiences, folk dancers and music lovers across America.

Kitka began in 1979 as a grassroots group of singers from diverse ethnic and musical backgrounds who shared a passion for the stunning dissonances, asymmetric rhythms, lush harmonies, and resonant strength of Eastern European women’s vocal traditions. Since its beginnings, the group has evolved into a professional touring ensemble that has earned international recognition for its artistry, versatility, and fresh approach to folk music. Kitka has recently been featured in national media including PRI’s “The World”, NPR’s “The Story”, “New Sounds”, and National Geographic’s “World Music Profiles.” A TV special “Kitka and Davka in Concert” has aired on more than 80 PBS stations nationwide and has been shown at film festivals from Beijing to Toronto. This year, Kitka released its eighth independently-produced album, “Sanctuary.”

About KITKA Women’s Vocal Ensemble:

‘KITKA has gained an international reputation for bringing a contemporary perspective to the sumptuous harmonies, striking dissonances, and angular rhythms of traditional Eastern European music. The ravishing textures of their voices singing in haunting cadences and unfamiliar languages make KITKA’s performances enthralling.’ -SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS