Past Concerts 2023

(Tes-LEEM) means both ‘commit’ and ‘surrender’ in Turkish and features founders Kaila Flexer – violin and Gari Hegedus – oud, Turkish saz, mandocello and tarhu. Newest members include Elana Brutman, Cretan lyra with sympathetic strings and Joshua Mellinger, percussion (frame drum, zarb, tabla, cajon and darabuka). All four musicians also compose contemporary modal music. The quartet performs these compositions as well as Turkish classical pieces, Turkish and Greek folk music as well as repertoire from the Balkans.

Press comments on Teslim;

"Together they make exquisite music, drawing inspiration from Sephardic, Greek and Turkish traditional sources. Their tunes are exotic, and their virtuosity is spellbinding."

PVV, Billboard Magazine

"The twin stringed chemistry and virtuosic interplay is extraordinary as Kaila and Gari forge a fresh musical idiom inspired by the cross-pollinating currents of Turkish, Sephardic and Cretan/Greek music.” –Dore Stein, Tangents Radio, KALW

"Teslim is not only unique because it allows us to perceive the common musical heritage that so many different cultures draw upon, but also because the music on this disc brings the magic of the world alive. This is a beautiful collection that will remind you of what power music can hold in the hands of skilled artists whose love for what they do comes through in every note they play.”
–Richard Marcus, BlogCritics Magazine

Links to Teslim’s Music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7oq4_ZIook&list=OLAK5uy_mJCpeQRQRa_fISeMoyf5Yki1KSUIJE51w&index=2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn3HUfsQ99Y&list=OLAK5uy_mJCpeQRQRa_fISeMoyf5Yki1KSUIJE51w&index=4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTWn4QFYeiM

Sunday, October 8, 2023 at 4pm

Watermelon Music

1970 Lake Blvd, Suite 1,

Davis, CA. 95616

info: 530-867-1032

or email: info@timnatalmusic.com

"A refreshing spin on traditional seasonal choral music…thoroughly marvelous! "- NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO

Few things evoke the magic of the winter holidays as the transcendent splendor of the human voice. Kitka has researched and discovered a treasure trove of seasonal music from a wide variety of Eastern European ethnic and spiritual traditions. Wintersongs showcases material ranging from rousing Slavic folk carols to lush, meditative Eastern Orthodox sacred choral works, to original new pieces inspired by the beauty and mystery of wintertime.

Kitka's 2023 Wintersongs theme is "Sustenance". This year's program is a musical response to the question ‘What sustains us in times of darkness and uncertainty?"

Photo: William Wayland

Concert highlights include songs that express wonder and gratitude for the miracle of creation, the diversity of life on earth, and the mysterious influences of heavenly bodies; folk carols that bestow blessings upon families and friends gathered around hearth fires and feast tables; songs that express faith and devotion to divine beings; humorous songs that heal us with laughter, songs that call out for peace on earth, and songs that summon hope for rebirth and renewal in springtime.

This musical offering is also a tribute to the power of harmony to nourish feelings of community and connectedness.

ABOUT KITKA WOMEN’S VOCAL ENSEMBLE

Inspired by traditional songs and vocal techniques from Eastern Europe and Eurasia, Kitka has earned international recognition for its distinctive sound, exploring a vast palette of ancient yet contemporary-sounding vocal effects. Kitka's commitment to presenting traditional song as a living and evolving expressive art form has led to adventurous collaborations with some of the world's most exciting indigenous musicians and contemporary composers ranging from Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares to Meredith Monk. Currently celebrating its 44th season, Kitka began as a grassroots group of amateur singers from diverse ethnic and musical backgrounds who shared a passion for the stunning dissonances, asymmetric rhythms, intricate ornamentation, and resonant strength of traditional Eastern European women's vocal music. Since its informal beginnings, the group has evolved into an award-winning touring ensemble known for its artistry, versatility and mastery of the demanding techniques of regional vocal styling, as well as for its innovative explorations in new music for women's voices. The ensemble's wide-ranging performance, teaching and recording activities have exposed millions to the haunting beauty of their unique repertoire.

For more information visit: http://www.kitka.org

View past Wintersongs concert highlights

Wintersongs with Kitka

Co-presented with TimnaTal Music

'Seasonal Songs of Sustenance from Balkan, Baltic, Caucasian, and Slavic Lands'

Davis Community Church

Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 8pm

412 C Street, Davis, CA. 95616

Tickets at Kitka.org/events

Advance reservations highly recommended!

info: 530-867-1032

or email: info@timnatalmusic.com