The acclaimed women’s vocal ensemble Kitka, now celebrating its 45th anniversary, is presenting its annual “Wintersongs” concert series at six Bay Area venues, Dec. 7–22. Coming after the group’s first international tour in more than a decade, the performances are set to showcase seasonal music from an array of Eastern European ethnic and spiritual traditions.
Kitka, which means “bouquet” in Bulgarian and Macedonian, began as a grassroots collective of amateur American singers whose mission was to cultivate local and global community through song. The group steadily grew into an award-winning professional ensemble known for its artistry, versatility, and mastery of regional vocal stylings. Shira Cion, Kitka’s executive/artistic director, has been with the organization since 1988.
“There are days when it feels like an epic journey, and there are other days when it feels like a blink, a flicker in time,” Cion said of her tenure as both a performer and administrator with Kitka. “The group has evolved and embarked on so many new projects, collaborations, and directions since its beginnings. It’s been overwhelming to contemplate all the places we’ve been — musically, socially, interpersonally, and existentially.”
Currently there are 10 core ensemble members, and Cion said that she works with co-directors Janet Kutulas and Kelly Atkins as a leadership trio. “But the ensemble is very much an artist-driven collective enterprise. Janet joined shortly after I did, so she and I have been partners going on 36 years now. We also have members of the group who joined last winter, and our youngest member is still at UC Berkeley as a music major.
“It’s a multigenerational ensemble, from ages 21 to 70. We really love that because that’s how these songs were traditionally transmitted from generation to generation — from mother to daughter, from old to young with intergenerational wisdom.”
For this year’s “Wintersongs,” Kitka is performing a program titled “Supra: A Seasonal Feast of Song,” featuring mostly Georgian music gathered during the ensemble’s recent trip to that country. Songs from Balkan, Baltic, Mediterranean and Slavic lands are also on the bill.
Staging these annual concerts requires something of a “magic formula,” Cion said. “We found six venues in the Bay Area — one we do two nights at — that work really well in terms of acoustics, mood, and intimacy with the performers and the audience. It’s mostly a cappella, but one tune has guitar accompaniment, and one has a little bit of Georgian dance. About five of us will step out and dance because in many folk-song traditions, [music and dance are] inseparable.”
Then there’s the notion of the supra, a traditional ritual feast that, Cion explained, “is an integral part of Georgian culture. Hospitality is a virtue that Georgians take extremely seriously, [and] we were recipients of over-the-top hospitality. A supra is held to welcome guests, to give them a sense of belonging. It’s a way of opening your heart, sharing thoughts and ideas that speak to the universal themes in everyone’s life.
“There are [also] lots of etiquette codes,” added Cion. “It’s forbidden to speak of anything that would depress anyone — politics [for example]. You talk about love, family, nature, art, God, peace, children, and ancestors that elevate the spirit.”
And what’s a feast without food? Cion noted that a supra typically involves “a ridiculous abundance of courses that never seem to end. Plates are literally piled on top of each other, with fresh herbs, walnuts, spices, pomegranate seeds. Wine is [also] essential to the ritual. Georgians take credit for having invented wine 8,000 years ago, and any family that has a bit of land has grapevines growing on it.”
While Kitka is not planning to have a supra in the literal sense, the feast can be found in the music. “Our goal is trying to share the supra through a musical lens,” Cion said. “That feeling that everybody in the audience is an honored guest at our supra table. We want to take them on a journey that we experienced.”
Cion noted that these concerts are “our expression of gratitude” for the community support that Kitka has received. “These are times when folks are really distressed about what the future holds. What we’ve found is that music and togetherness and shared experiences of beauty and community are going to fuel our souls to get through [this]. Our duty as artists is to provide that sustenance and inspiration through ‘Wintersongs,’ into a future that holds who knows what.”
