Part of the Bulgarian Master Singers Series, co-presented with Vlada Tomova Music
The Kitka Institute is thrilled to partner again with New York-based Bulgarian singer Vlada Tomova, founder and director of Yasna Voices, to present an extraordinary series of online vocal masterclasses with some of Bulgaria's most esteemed folk song masters.
In this series, world-renowned singers and teachers, soloists of leading ensembles and groups in Bulgaria, will teach us a song from their native region. Each 2-hour class will explore a different Bulgarian folkloric area and local singing style.
The May 23 session will feature a rare online performance and lecture demo with the legendary Shope village ensemble, the Bistritsa Babi!
This event will include live English translation. Song materials will be sent to all registrants prior to each session.
Bistritsa Babi (Bulgarian: Бистришките баби, "The Bistritsa Grannies") is an elder and multi-generational women's choir carrying on the traditional dances and polyphonic singing of the Shopluk region of Bulgaria. Founded in 1939, the group won the European Folk Art Award in 1978, and their singing was declared a Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNSECO in 2005. Performing three-part polyphony with features "retained from the pre-Christian times," the group has toured Europe and the US. They are known for their practice of Shop polyphony, costuming, ring dancing, and performances of the Lazarouvane (a springtime initiation ritual for girls). In 2005 they were included in UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage elements in Eastern Europe.
The Shope genre is characterized by diaphony and parallel voicing. "Diaphony" is a type of polyphony where the melody is performed by one or two soloists, consisting of izvikava and buchi krivo or "to shout out" and "crooked rumbled roars", while the ensemble holds a doubled or tripled drone. Dance and music are asynchronous.
The group was formed by pairs of women recruited as vocal accompanists to the Bistritsa Chetvorka (Bulgarian: Bistritsa Foursome/Quartet), founded around 1935.
Participation Options:
6/6 Masterclass with Live Zoom Participation - $50
6/6 Masterclass YouTube Audit with Recording Access - $25
6/6 Masterclass: YouTube Audit-Only - $16
Discounts available for multiple masterclass registrations!
This Bulgarian Master Singers Series:
- Extends much-needed support to master singers in Bulgaria, who are facing dire economic times (artists received no COVID relief funds in Bulgaria)
- Provides us an invaluable opportunity to study with Bulgarian luminary folk singers from the safety of our homes, while connecting with one another in times of severe isolation in this pandemic
- Creates a virtual global community of vocalists interested in deepening their understanding of Bulgarian folk singing traditions
Join us!