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Spinning is an activity found the world over, with many stories relating women to notions of destiny and the spinning of fate. We find allegorical evidence of this in language: the word spin is related to the word span (as in one’s ‘lifespan’), just as ‘line’ is embedded in the word lineage. In the Irish tradition, a woman acting as midwife often also served the parallel role of lamenter. A bean chaointe (‘woman crier’) oversaw the ushering of the departed to the Otherworld. Much like midwifing (and again, often the midwife), the keening woman would act as ‘deathwife’, not sleeping when on watch as she oversaw the ushering in and guiding out of life, acting as a bridge between worlds. In this workshop, we will explore these themes in the context of Irish sean-nós and keening, examining women’s roles as gatekeepers of liminal spaces and their related and often simultaneous activity: spinning.

No prior singing experience necessary, all genders and ages welcome.

Artwork: Muir Coast by Kristine Barrett

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“And she, singing indoors with a beautiful voice, wove at her loom, walking up and down with the golden bobbin.” This seemingly innocuous scene described by Homer in the Odyssey paints the picture of the Greek nymph Calypso on her desert island. There she enchants Odysseus with her singing as she works at her loom, imprisoning him for seven years. Fear and awe, i.e. magic, surround her dominant activities: weaving and singing. Following the warp-weighted loom’s northern journey through the Caucasus, Eastern Europe, Nordic lands, and Celtic enclaves, this workshop will introduce a variety of women’s song traditions and their relation to textile arts and notions of magic.

No prior singing experience necessary, all genders and ages welcome.

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For millennia, textile arts have predominantly been the provenance of women, with singing as an integral companion and/or extension of these activities. Aural examples of the relationship between textile production and singing abound throughout the Baltic world, with sutartinės at the center. Ritual songs sung in 2, 3, or 4 parts, sutartinės are ancient women’s song forms mimicking the process of weaving. In this workshop, we will explore these themes via song; working on vocal technique, pronunciation, and cultural context.

No prior singing experience necessary, all genders and ages welcome.

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The vocal techniques and extraordinary harmonies of Bulgarian music have entranced music lovers around the the globe. The brilliant tonal clarity and vocal agility of Bulgarian singers is universally appreciated and many musicians from other traditions have expressed a deep interest in decoding the mystery of the Bulgarian voice. Tzvetanka Varimezova has taught traditional Bulgarian vocal techniques, folk songs, and choral repertoire around the world for more than two decades and is a master of helping non-Bulgarian singers discover their open voice.

Singers of all ages, genders, and levels of experience welcome!

More info here.

In this workshop acclaimed Persian vocalist and cultural activist Mahsa Vahdat will teach a song related to spring that draws from the treasury of Persian poetry. At this moment when everyone in the world is experiencing suffering in the face of shared fears and losses, Mahsa and students will pay tribute to the beauty and hope that nature offers us in the form of spring.

More info here.

In this workshop acclaimed Persian vocalist and cultural activist Mahsa Vahdat will teach a song related to spring that draws from the treasury of Persian poetry. At this moment when everyone in the world is experiencing suffering in the face of shared fears and losses, Mahsa and students will pay tribute to the beauty and hope that nature offers us in the form of spring.

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Spend 4 weeks exploring diaphonic songs – traditional folksongs for treble voices from across the region of Macedonia, lying in Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, and Pirin Bulgaria.

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All are welcome. No music reading of prior vocal training required! Janet Kutulas, Kitka's Musical Co-Director and leader of the Zele Community Choir will lead a 90-minute workshop.

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March is Women's History Month and March 3 has been declared "Music Freedom Day" by the Freemuse Organization. We shall celebrate this day and month with a special tribute to women's voices in Iran. The evening will include tea and dialogue with Mahsa Vahdat in which she will present an overview of great Iranian women singers who have kept their rich vocal traditions alive despite the risks of great consequences. Mahsa will then teach a selection of stunning Persian songs.

Reserve your tickets here. Join us for a vocal workshop with Carl Linich, scholar, teacher, and performer of traditional Georgian polyphonic singing for over 25 years. He is also a member of Trio Kavkasia.

Reserve your tickets here. The Kitka Institute is pleased to continue our series of workshops with Persian vocalist and master teacher, Mahsa Vahdat. Mahsa's next workshop will explore the theme of HOPE as expressed in historical and contemporary Iranian poetry and song.

Reserve your spot here. "Lullabies guide a person throughout their entire life. In the beginning, they are sung to you, later, you are the one who sings... in this way, the cosmic melody of love and affection continues forever." - Hasmik Harutyunyan

Join us for an intimate vocal workshop afternoon with Hasmik.

Reserve your spot here. The Kitka Institute is pleased to continue our series of workshops with Persian vocalist and master teacher, Mahsa Vahdat. Mahsa's next workshop will focus on giving voice to the cosmic and existential poetry of Omar Khayyam.

Join Briget for a four-hour “Unleash Your Voice” workshop instensive. Briget's teaching philosophy is centered on the power that is found through discovering your own voice and having fun while doing it. 

Space is limited! Reserve your spot here.

Reserve your spot here. After participating in the Lullabies from the Axis of Evil project  in 2003, lullabies  became important part of Iranian singer Mahsa Vahdat’s musical repertory in her albums and performances. In this workshop Mahsa will share lullabies she learned from her grandmother as well as cradle songs from a variety of Persian regional folk traditions, reshaped with her own creative musical expression and interpretation. 

Reserve your spot here. Pranayama is an ancient Ayurvedic practice of controlling the breath.  The word pranayama comes from the Sanskrit prana for life force (or breath) and ayama for extending or stretching.  Join us for a 2 hour workshop in pranayama for singers.  Learn new practices to enhance and inform your breathing, and how to apply these exercises to your regular singing practice and performance needs.

Reserve your space here. Kitka is truly honored to continue our vocal workshop and intimate dialogue series with the exquisite vocalist and cultural activist Mahsa Vahdat from Tehran, Iran. The theme of this workshop will be "Home." How do we carry notions of home, heritage, and belonging through giving authentic voice to our songs and stories? How do we preserve and transform the song legacies of our ancestors in a far away lands?

Learn exciting Georgian folk songs with Adilei and the Chamgeliani Sisters. Adilei is a young choir from Tbilisi who sing traditional music with playful energy and improvisational flair. The Chamgeliani Sisters sing hauntingly beautiful ancient songs from Svaneti, a remote region in the high Causasian mountains.

Kitka is truly honored to have the opportunity to present a vocal workshops and intimate dialogue with the exquisite vocalist and cultural activist Mahsa Vahdat from Tehran, Iran.

Prepare to be uplifted and blown away by the exquisite and unusual harmonies of traditional Georgian vocal music! Always in 3 parts, voices weave in and out in dissonance and independence, creating unexpected chords that shift and meander to cadence in powerful unisons or open fifths. Learn about the history of Georgian music while Ketevan Mindorashvili, director of Georgia's Zedashe Ensemble, teaches you songs from this storied country which is the birthplace of one of the world's oldest and most fascinating polyphonic singing traditions.