Kitka’s “Sell Sheet”

“KITKA’s songs are hauntingly beautiful, simple, yet otherworldly. The rich sound these women produce resonates as if energized by the universe itself, as if it were calling all live beings and still matter into togetherness and unity.”
     — Ching Chang, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

KITKA is a women’s vocal ensemble unlike any other. These sophisticated singers blend a contemporary sensibility with specialized vocal techniques from Eastern Europe that have been distilled over centuries. Using only the pure unaccompanied voice, they create a constantly shifting landscape of sound, pulsing with angular rhythms, where dramatic dynamics leap from delicate stillness to shattering resonance, and seamless unisons explode into lush incomprehensible chords.

KITKA's material ranges from ancient village duets to complex choral works, from early music to contemporary theater. The sound of their voices is exotic, both elegant and eerie. The melodies are hauntingly beautiful. The many languages in which they sing are largely unfamiliar to American ears — Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian, Georgian, Hungarian, Ladino, Latvian, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, Yiddish, with the occasional Latin, medieval Gallician, or ancient Greek. It is exactly this unfamiliarity that is so riveting, as KITKA’s sensitive precision lifts their work out of the merely musical into a universe beyond words, an experience that is primal, elemental.

More than just a concert, an evening with KITKA unites vibrant music, enhanced by a subtly changing stage picture, compelling song introductions, and each singer’s warm rapport with the audience.

This is powerful music by accomplished musicians who offer more than just exquisite execution—these women clearly share a passion for what they do. KITKA: joyful voices uniquely blended in exquisite dissonance and harmony.