Wintersongs with Kitka - OAKLAND (Thursday)

A refreshing spin on traditional seasonal choral music…thoroughly marvelous!
- NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO

For 25 years, Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble's annual Wintersongs concerts have explored songs from across Eastern Europe that summon the return of light and hope in times of difficulty and darkness.

This year’s concerts will feature many of the songs on the ensemble’s long awaited new album, Kolo, which will be released globally next year, but pre-release copies of the album will be available for sale at all Wintersongs events.
Kolo – a root word resonant across Balkan, Baltic and Slavic cultures – means circle, wheel and a spiraling communal line dance. It is the cosmic cycle of creation, growth, destruction and renewal; the eternal turning of seasons; and the shared rhythms of lives woven together. For Kitka, the kolo also represents our ever-evolving circle of voices, a close-knit co-creative community of women bound by breath and friendship. This lovingly curated cycle of traditional and newly imagined songs invites listeners into Kitka’s kolo, a place where giving voice and deep listening revolve in a timeless dance of dissonance and harmony.

ABOUT KITKA WOMEN’S VOCAL ENSEMBLE

Inspired by traditional songs and vocal techniques from Eastern Europe and Eurasia, Kitka has earned international recognition for its distinctive sound, exploring a vast palette of ancient yet contemporary-sounding vocal effects. Kitka's commitment to presenting traditional song as a living and evolving expressive art form has led to adventurous collaborations with some of the world's most exciting indigenous musicians and contemporary composers ranging from Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares to Meredith Monk. Currently celebrating its 45th 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 women's 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. The ensemble's wide-ranging performance, teaching and recording activities have exposed millions to the haunting beauty of their unique repertoire.

IN ADDITION TO YOUR TICKET PURCHASE, PLEASE CONSIDER A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE YEAR-END GIFT TO KITKA.
As a small nonprofit, we rely on community support to keep our voices strong. In this era of drastic arts funding cuts—when culture, creativity, and freedom of expression are under threat—your contribution is vital. Every gift helps Kitka continue to build bridges of connection, resilience, and joy through song—locally and across the globe.
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