FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 19, 1999

PRESS CONTACT: Shira Cion, (510) 444-0323,

KITKA PERFORMS WITH LE MYSTÈRE DES VOIX BULGARES SOLOIST KREMENA STANCHEVA AND ACCORDION VIRTUOSO MILEN SLAVOV ON SATURDAY, JUNE 19 AND SUNDAY, JUNE 20.

Oakland, CA&emdash;KITKA, the Bay Area’s internationally acclaimed women’s vocal ensemble, presents two concerts of traditional and contemporary music from Bulgaria and beyond with two of Bulgaria’s most celebrated musicians as special guests: vocalist Kremena Stancheva, soloist with the Grammy Award-winning, ensemble Les Mystère des Voix Bulgares; and Bulgarian accordion virtuoso Milen Slavov. The concerts will take place on Saturday, June 19, at 8:00 PM, and on Sunday, June 20, at 7:00 PM in the splendid acoustics of Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, located at 1330 Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland.

A living legend among Bulgarian folk singers, Kremena Stancheva was born in the village of Kovachevtsi in the Shope region, near Sofia. In 1960, while a 19-year old student at Sofia’s Higher Institute of Ecomonics, her fate took a fortuitous turn when she competed for and won a place in the Bulgarian State Radio and Television Female Vocal Choir, the group which later became world famous as Les Mystère des Voix Bulgares. From her earliest days in the choir, Ms. Stancheva distinguished herself not only as a lead ensemble member, but also as a soloist. Her spine-tingling interpretations of the slow diaphonic harvest songs from her native region&emdash;characterized by their intricate ornamentation and edgy tremolos in close dissonant harmonies with a supporting drone&emdash; have astonished audiences around the globe. In recognition of her masterful artistry, Ms. Stancheva is the recipient of numerous international awards, including the Bratislava Grand Prize and the Cyril & Methodius Award for her contribution to Bulgarian Culture and Society. She has been featured on dozens of recordings which have been distributed internationally on the 4AD, Nonesuch, Polygram, Jaro, Gega, and Balkanton labels. Ms. Stancheva has recently released a solo album, entitled Rays of Sound.

Accordion virtuoso Milen Slavov is also an award-winning composer, arranger, conductor, performer, teacher and vocalist. Born in the town of Stara Zagora in the Thrace region of Bulgaria, Slavov is both a graduate and former faculty member of Bulgaria’s prestigious Philip Koutev Music School. He began his profesional performing career as a "wedding musician" a genre which requires the highest level of technical acumen and musical versatility. Since Mr. Slavov moved to California in 1997, he has performed and taught Bulgarian, Eastern European, Gypsy, contemporary and classical music styles throughout the West Coast. He has also released two recordings: Steep Path, and Richness of Music (with vocalist Sandie Merrill). Currently, Mr. Slavov teaches in the UCLA Ethnomusicology Department and is completing a Bulgarian Accordion Music Book /CD set for Mel Bay Publishers.

Recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts as one of America’s premiere vocal ensembles, and by numerous Bulgarian musicial authorities as the foremost interpreter of Bulgarian choral repertoire in the United States, KITKA is a nine-woman ensemble that brings a sophisticated contemporary sensibility to centuries-old vocal traditions. From strident chants sung in the open-throated village style to complex modern choral arrangements inspired by ancient extended vocal techniques, KITKA’s repertoire explores the stunning dissonances, assymetric rhythms, intricate ornamentation, lush harmonies, and resonant strength of Balkan and Slavic women’s vocal music. KITKA's voices have been featured on several movie soundtracks, including Braveheart and Jacob’s Ladder. They recently received critical raves on both coasts for their role as the Greek Chorus/Trojan Slave Women in the American Conservatory Theater’s production of Hecuba, starring Olympia Dukakis. This season the KITKA celebrates the release of Nectar, their fourth recording on their own Diaphonica record label.

Concert tickets are priced at $14 in advance, $16 at the door, and $12 for seniors, students, and people with disabilities. All seating is general admission.

Tickets can be charged by phone by calling KITKA at (510) 444-0323. Advance tickets can also be purchased at Shambhala Booksellers at 2482 Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. Ticket orders can also be mailed to KITKA, 1201 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland, CA 94612. Additional concert nformation is available on KITKA’s website, www.kitka.org.

KITKA’s 1998/99 Concert Season is supported, in part, by grants from the Oakland Cultural Affairs Commission, funded by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Oakland‘s Life Enrichment Agency&emdash;Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services, the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, the Creative Work Fund and the Threshold Foundation. Kremena Stancheva’s visit to the United States is being co-sponsored by the Eastern European Folklife Center.

CALENDAR LISTING

MUSIC: CLASSICAL/CHORAL WORLD/FOLK

KITKA WITH LES MYSTÈRE DES VOIX BULGARES SOLOIST KREMENA STANCHEVA AND ACCORDION VIRTUOSO MILEN SLAVOV
performing music from Bulgaria and beyond

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 1999 at 8:00 PM
Lake Merritt United Methodist Church
1330 Lakeshore Ave.
Oakland

&

SUNDAY, JUNE 20, 1999 at 7:00 PM
Lake Merritt United Methodist Church
1330 Lakeshore Ave.
Oakland

Tickets: $14 in advance/$16 at the door/$12 seniors, students, disabled.

For reservations and information call (510) 444-0323 or visit http://www.kitka.org.

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PHOTO EDITORS: Black and white and color photographs of KITKA, Kremena Stancheva, and Milen Slavov can be downloaded in JPEG format from http://www.kitka.org/press/photos.html.

Prints of photos are available on request. Call (510) 444-0323.