Kitka presents Zedashe Ensemble: Folk Songs and Dances from Georgia April 25, 2013

The Zedashe Ensemble is based in the medieval fortress city of Sighnaghi, Eastern Georgia, which has been home to the Kiziqian wine growers and warriors since ancient times. Directed by Ketevan Mindorashvili, the current incarnation of the ensemble was founded in the mid 1990s to sing repertoire largely lost during the Communist era. Their repertoire consists of ancient three-part harmony chants from the Orthodox Christian liturgy, folk songs from the Kiziqian region as collected from village song-masters and old publications, and folk dances from the region.

The Zedashe Ensemble also sings repertoire from other regions in Georgia, particularly the high North-Eastern mountain province of Svanetia, where time seems to stand still and the traditional, non-tempered tunings of the old Georgians remain alive in current practice. Folk song genres include field-songs, love songs, historical ballads, war dance songs, and ritual circle dances, and are accompanied by the chunir (Svan lute), panduri (Kiziq lute), chonguri (Gurian lute), doli (drum), chiboni (goat-skin bagpipes), and accordion.

The group's name is taken from the special earthenware jugs - zedashes - that were buried under the family home for the purpose of making wine. The wine made in zedashes was especially for the veneration of ancestors and the tapping of the zedashe every year carried great ritual significance.

The Bay Area's own award-winning and trailblazing women's vocal ensemble, Kitka, is pleased to host this rare Bay Area appearance by Zedashe. Kitka is recognized internationally for their innovative performances of traditional and contemporary Balkan, Slavic and Caucasian vocal music. Kitka toured Georgia in 2010 and as a featured ensemble at the International Symposium of Traditional Polyphony at the Tbilisi Conservatoire.

For more information about Kitka and Zedashe visit: www.kitka.org or www.zedashe.org

Official Website: http://www.kitka.org