SLAVEYA
Slaveya – from the Bulgarian for nightingale – is a women’s vocal ensemble in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area specializing in East European a cappella folk music.
Slaveya's repertoire reflects village life: the harvest, war heroes, matchmaking, love and flirtation, birth and death, and are traditionally sung at work or while participating in community festivities and seasonal celebrations. Slaveya is inspired by the vocal heritage of the Balkans, Caucasus Georgia, and neighboring regions. In addition to folk songs, Slaveya interprets sacred vocal music from the Orthodox traditions of the Balkans and Georgia.
Slaveya has been an active member of the folk music and dance community in the Mid-Atlantic region for 25 years. Performance highlights include:
- Art After Hours series at the Mansion at Strathmore
- World Arts Festival sponsored by Montgomery College
- Balkan Celebration hosted by the Folklore Society of Greater Washington (with Lyuti Chushki)
- Wammies (Washington Area Music Awards) at the Strathmore Music Center
- Kennedy Center Millennium Stage
- Library of Congress Capital Roots concert series (with Tatiana Sarbinska)
- Maryland Renaissance Festival
- Washington Folk Festival, and
- Baltimore Folk Music Association Folk Festival.
Slaveya’s latest recording, On the Village Square: Songs from the Balkans and Beyond, was released in 2008 and was nominated for a Washington Area Music Award (Wammie) for Outstanding A Cappella Recording. Slaveya was also nominated for Outstanding A Cappella Group.
Photo by Natalia Kornilova and Harrison Thomas
Slaveya’s singers are Theadocia Austen, Karen Chittenden, Agnieszka Christian, Mary Farrah, Helen Fedor, Carlin Gayer, Anne Harrison, Jennifer Lee, Andrea Loewenwarter, Kathryn Mitchell, Betsy Platt, Miriam Rollin, Leslie Root, Toni Schneider, and Tzvety Weiner.
In the last several years, Slaveya members have studied traditional Georgian polyphony with teachers and song masters, including Zedashe, an innovative mixed vocal ensemble; Malkhaz Erkvanidze, one of the most highly regarded teachers of Georgian folk music and chant; Carl Linich of Trio Kavkasia, Ash (AE) and others. Visit http://www.villageharmony.org, http://www.zedashe.org, http://www.kavkasia.org/, http://www.aesings.com for more information about our mentors.
