Vocal Auditions:
Kitka is Looking for New Singers
Kitka has two openings for new singers with strong, beautiful
voices and engaging stage presence. We are looking for women
who are adept at singing in both open/chest voice and “pure”
(light vibrato) head voice styles. We are particularly seeking
strong vocalists capable of singing in a low register and a
strident “Balkan style” quality in the mid and/or
high range. Familiarity with Eastern European singing and language
is preferred but not necessary. Accurate intonation, rhythmic
capability, previous performance experience and strong ensemble
singing skills are essential.
Singing with Kitka is a musical adventure. We constantly strive
for higher and higher standards of artistry and excellence.
We perform exciting local concerts and tour throughout North
America and travel to Eastern Europe. We teach vocal workshops,
host regular master artist residencies to hone our vocal technique
and language skills, and collaborate frequently with artists
working in different musical traditions and performance media.
We are currently venturing into vocal theatre and pushing our
own personal and organizational creative boundaries. We record
CDs and, occasionally, movie soundtracks. We have an amazing
amount of fun singing together and audiences are moved to tears
by our performances.
Interested? To be considered for an audition, please send us the following:
- Current resume or bio and letter of interest
- CD, Cassette, or MP3 File containing: One Eastern European
or other song in open/chest voice (if you dont know
what this means, ask us!)
- One song in pure head voice (light or no vibrato)
- Scales or other musical selection demonstrating your vocal range
Please label your recording with your name, email address, and phone number. If you would like your materials returned, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
MAIL YOUR LETTER, BIO, AND RECORDING TO:
KITKA AUDITIONS
1201 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Oakland, CA 94612
OR E-MAIL LETTER, BIO, AND MP3 FILES TO:
Audition materials are screened by Kitka's Music Director. Singers who pass the initial phase will be invited for a live audition. For more information about Kitka auditions and membership, call 510.444.0323, visit www.kitka.org/press/auditions.html, or email us at
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About KITKA
KITKA is an award-winning women's vocal ensemble specializing in traditional and contemporary music from Eastern Europe. KITKA's ongoing activities include: presentation of a San Francisco Bay Area home concert season, regional and national touring, recording projects, educational programs, master artist residencies, and adventuresome collaborations. KITKA is also dedicated to expanding the boundaries of traditional Eastern European music as an expressive art form.
Composed of women from diverse cultural and musical backgrounds
who share a passion for the stunning dissonances, assymetric
rhythms, intricate ornamentation, lush harmonies and resonant
strength of Balkan and Slavic women's vocal music, KITKA's repertoire
ranges from strident chants sung in the open-throated village
style to complex, contemporary choral works inspired by ancient
extended vocal techniques. KITKA's voices have been featured
on several major motion picture soundtracks, including Braveheart
and Jacobs Ladder. The group has also been featured in various
theatrical projects including Thomas Binkley's 1990 production
of Carmina Burana,the American Conservatory Theater's production
of Hecuba starring Olympia Dukakis. Kitka has released ten critically
acclaimed recordings, eight on its own Diaphonica label, most
recently Sanctuary: A Cathedral Concert (2008). A new recording
and companion songbook Cradle Songs, featuring original settings
of traditional lullabies of Eastern Europe, is currently in
production and slated for release in September 2009. Kitka’s
first songbook, a companion to the Wintersongs CD, is in its
third pressing and continues to make a significant impact on
the international choral music field.
For more information, visit KITKA's homepage at http://www.kitka.org.