Song Hive: A Vocal Workshop with Kitka's Kelly Atkins and Kristine Barrett

Across Eastern Europe, bees are more than makers of honey—they are sacred messengers, symbols of fertility, diligence, sweetness, and the fragile harmony between humans and the natural world. In this community vocal workshop, participants will explore bee-themed songs drawn from a rich range of Eastern European traditions, where buzzing refrains, mezmerizing drones, and interdependent harmonies echo the life of the hive.

No prior singing experience or music reading is required. This workshop is open to singers of all backgrounds, ages, and genders and encourages learning by ear, embodied sound, and joyful participation. Together, we’ll create a living sound-hive: a shared, resonant space where individual voices weave into something golden, vibrant, and alive.

This workshop will be led by Kelly Atkins and Kristine Barrett, both veteran vocalists of Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble (www.kitka.org) and leaders of Kitka's San Francisco Bay Area Community Choirs. Following this workshop, at 8pm at the New Marigny Theater, the full Kitka ensemble makes their New Orleans debut in a shared concert with New Orlean's own Eastern European vocal ensemble, Trendafilka.
Tuition for this 2-hour workshop is $25-$35 sliding scale (suggested donation is $30). More generous "pay-it-forward" contributions are welcome. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
SONG HIVE WORKSHOP LEADERS:
KELLY ATKINS
For almost three decades, Kitka’s Deputy Director, Kelly Atkins, has actively composed, performed, recorded and toured in a remarkable variety of musical genres, including world, indierock, rock, triphop, folk, experimental, new music and more. She is also honored to help others find their voice by providing private vocal coaching services for all ages, directing the weekly public Marin Kitka Community Choir, and leading the advanced vocal clinic “Echoes of the Grove”.

KRISTINE BARRETT
Kristine Barrett is a multimedia artist, composer and vocalist specializing in traditional music from Eastern Europe, the British Isles, and Northern Europe. Her musical career spans rock, early music, experimental new music, and folk. After completing a double BFA in Photography/New Media and Art History from the Kansas City Art Institute, Kristine went on to study composition at SUNY Buffalo and at Mills College, where she received a MFA in Electronic Music Composition and Recording Media in 2006. Kristine holds an MA in Folklore from UC Berkeley, where she is currently working towards a PhD in ethnomusicology. Kristine Directs the Iavnana Ensemble, a Kitka community choir with a focus on Georgian traditional polyphony.

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