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Dear Kitka Community,
Happy first day of Spring!
Even in the midst of violent world events that can feel overwhelming,
heartbreaking, and uncertain, small miracles persist—buds unfurling on the trees, green shoots pressing up through the earth, life quietly renewing itself.
In that spirit of regeneration and hope, we are delighted to share
that our new album, Kolo,
is now available for digital download on Bandcamp.
We invite you to listen, to gift it to a fellow music lover, and to welcome its cycle of songs into your springtime. Limited-edition double vinyl and CD copies are also available through
our
website shop.
In the weeks ahead, Kitka is honored to welcome three extraordinary
songkeepers to the Bay Area for artist residencies featuring community workshops and performances. Read on to learn more about upcoming events with
Inna
Kovtun (Ukraine),
Polina
Skovoroda-Shepherd (Siberia/UK), and
Phoebe
Vlassis (Greece).
Singers of all backgrounds, genders, ages, and levels of musical experience are welcome at all vocal workshops!
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Sing and Stand and Dance for
Peace and Renewal in Ukraine!
Vesnyanky: Ukrainian Spring Songs and Dances
A Vocal and Movement Workshop with
Inna
Kovtun
Saturday, March 28
7-9pm
Wendte Hall
First Unitarian Church
685 14th Street, Oakland, CA
Register
Online
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Kitka is thrilled to welcome Ukrainian folksinger, master of music
and folklore, and ethnomusicologist Inna Kovtun back to the Bay Area for a participatory workshop exploring traditional Ukrainian ritual songs and circle dances to awaken spring.
For centuries, these songs and movements have marked the arrival
of spring, helping to revive the land, release the grip of winter, and welcome renewal, growth, and joy. Through authentic
Vesnyanky and Haiivky, participants are invited to experience a living seasonal tradition where voice and movement come together to ritually connect humans with the cycles of the natural world.
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Inna Kovtun sings a medley of summer solstice songs from Ukraine.
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Enchantment Songs of the Slavic and Yiddish Soul
A Vocal Workshop with
Polina
Skovoroda Shepherd
Saturday, April 11
4-6pm
Nelligan Hall
St. Paul's Lutheran Church
1658 Excelsior Avenue,
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Join internationally acclaimed performer and educator Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd
for an immersive vocal journey into the heart of Eastern Europe. This workshop goes beyond mere singing; it is an exploration of the "Slavic Soul"—a cultural space existing between life and death, the earthly and the divine.
Participants will engage with a diverse repertoire that spans the
vastness of the Slavic world:
• Ritual & Pagan Songs: Celebrate the turning of the seasons and
connection to the spirits of nature—where every blade of grass has a voice.
• Lyrical & "Drawn-out "Melodies: Experience the
Protyazhnaya, songs of deep expressive power and lyrical intensity that echo the boundless horizon of the steppes.
• Dance & Community Songs: From gritty folklore to vibrant circle
dances that foster communal joy and resilience.
• The Intersection of Cultures: Discover the Macaronic songs of Yiddish
culture—fascinating musical hybrids where Yiddish meets Ukrainian, Russian, and Belorussian influences, reflecting the shared history of the steppes and the shtetl.
Co-sponsored by the Glenview Classical Series
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Polina Shepherd sings the melancholy Yiddish song "Aleyn in veg"
(Alone on the Journey).
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INTERWOVEN
A concert of songs inspired by textile arts
featuring
Phoebe Vlassis (Greece), voice and percussive loom
Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd (Siberia), voice and piano
Members of Kitka, harmony vocals
Sunday, April 12 / 7:30 pm
Glenview Classical Series
St. Paul's Lutheran Church
Excelsior, Oakland, CA
Reserve
tickets
INTERWOVEN brings together three visionary forces in an
evening of music inspired by the artistry of textile traditions. Greek weaver-musician
Phoebe Vlassis transforms her loom into a percussive instrument, spinning rhythm and song into a living tapestry of sound. Siberian-born composer and vocalist
Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd reimagines East European Jewish, Slavic, and Tatar folk heritage through original compositions and daring, spinning improvisations. Members of Kitka will provide supporting harmony vocals. Together, these artists weave voice,
rhythm, memory, and innovation into a radiant sonic fabric—where ancient threads are interlaced with bold contemporary expression.
Audience members will be invited to raise their voices and become
a part of the sonic tapestry.
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Phoebe Vlassis sings "Tis Trihas to Gefyri, a Pontic Greek tune from
the Black Sea.
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Now Available in Digital Download Format on
Bandcamp!
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A Proto-Balto-Slavic root word,
kolo means circle, wheel and a spiraling communal line dance. It is the cosmic cycle of creation, growth, destruction and renewal; the eternal turning of seasons; and the shared rhythms of lives woven together. For Kitka, the
kolo also represents our ever-evolving circle of voices, a close-knit co-creative community of women bound by breath and friendship.
This lovingly curated cycle of traditional and newly imagined songs
from Bulgaria, Corsica, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Turkey, and Ukraine invites listeners into Kitka’s
kolo, a place where giving voice and deep listening revolve in a timeless dance of dissonance and harmony.
Read
our first Kolo album
review in San Francisco Classical Voice
Order Kolo in
physical format from our online music shop
Order
Kolo in
Digital Download format from Bandcamp
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Help Sustain Kitka's Circle of Song!
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As a small nonprofit, Kitka relies on community support to keep
our voices resounding. In this era of drastic arts funding cuts, culture, creativity, and freedom of expression in our communities are under threat.
In tumultuous times like these, your tax-deductible contribution is more vital than ever.
Please help Kitka continue to build bridges of connection, resilience, and joy through song—locally, nationally, and across the globe.
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Tax-deductible contributions can also be mailed to:
KITKA
1201 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Suite 103
Oakland, CA 94612 USA
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Wishing you a beautiful spring season!
In harmony and gratitude,
The Women of KITKA
Erin, Katya, Kelly, Kristine, Janet, Juliana, Maclovia, Shira, Stacey, and Talia
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Kitka photo by UnityFest, San Antonio / Polina Shepherd Photo by Shendl Copitman / Interwoven
Art by Hung Liu / Kolo album art by Kristine Barrett
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Kitka's 2025-2026 season is supported, in part, by Creative West,
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The East Bay Community Foundation Oakland Pooled Arts Fund, The Fleishhacker Foundation, The Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund, Silk Road House, and our generous global village of individual donors.
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