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Our Fiddle Player's Other Rockin' Gig July, 2010
Most of our chorus members, well all of us really, live double and triple lives, playing, and singing in other groups, bands, and ensembles of every imaginable stripe. This includes our fabulous fiddle player, Jenée Morgan, who's roots-rock band Kingsley Flood got two great write-ups in the Boston Globe and Boston Phoenix this week. The Globe article is here, Phoenix article is here, and Kingsley Flood's website is here. The Phoenix lauded Jenée's "masterful fiddle" — we completely concur!
Divi Zheni in the Wicked Local Newspapers! April, 2010
A big thank-you to reporter Victoria Groves and photographer Mark Thomson of the Wicked Local Tab newspapers, who took the time to talk with us backstage and attend our fundraiser concert at the Brighton-Allston Congregational Church. Their great write-up begins — "With giant red flowers in their hair, traditional blouses and black skirts, the women of Divi Zheni, Boston’s Women’s Bulgarian Chorus and Band, gave a lively performance on April 7 at the Brighton-Allston Congregational Church." The complete article is here, featuring lots of great quotes by chorus members on the challenges and thrills of singing Balkan music.
Balkan Music Night in the News! March, 2010 One of our favorite annual events is Balkan Music Night, a rollicking evening — and by evening I mean 7pm to 2:30am!! — of Balkan music and dance performed by Balkan groups from all over New England, with special guests from farther afield. This year Divi Zheni performed in the concert part of the evening, which was a thrill, and which meant we got to dance our socks off late into the night. Big huge thank you to Balkan Music Night's organizers, and especially to the audio engineers for a beautiful sound. Read more about the event in this Boston Globe article, featuring a quote by our very own Mari Young!
On the Wings of Love Songs February, 2010 Love must have been in the air this winter, as we were delighted to welcome three new members to the chorus, whose auditions included an American love song circa 1942, a traditional Vietnamese wedding song, and a Russian wedding lament, Svadebnaya pyesnya, which is pretty much the saddest tune you'll ever hear at a wedding. These were sung by our wonderful new chorusters, Naomi Edelman, Hilary Harpe Lilja, and Abigail Bordeaux, who, once joined, promptly plunged into preparing for a spate of late winter and early spring concerts. Welcome you three! We love having your beautiful voices in the group!
Divi Zheni's 10th Anniversary Party! January, 2010 It seems preposterous, and yet there it is — this month marks Divi Zheni's 10th anniversary!! Learn more about the chorus' history here.
Boston Globe Article about our Sedenka November, 2009 We were tickled and thrilled on November 22 to open up the Sunday Boston Globe Arts section, and see a great, half-page write up (with photo!) of Divi Zheni's upcoming Sedenka. Big thanks to Globe journalist Lydia Rebac, who spent time with the chorus and with Tatiana, learning about why we do what we do. This holiday-season concert-coverage led to a standing-room only Sedenka which was great fun for us and our very game audience, and raised much-needed funds for the Holy Resurrection church's soup kitchen, and for Divi Zheni. Click here to see the complete article.
Angel Bearing New Costumes! October, 2009 You could never hope to see a roomful of more giddy, chattering women than the day our new costumes arrived from Bulgaria, and we pulled them out of the shipping boxes and tried them on. They were made in the capital city, Sofia, by Lilya, our genius tailor, who based the design on traditional costumes from the Shop region. Back in the spring we sent Lilya detailed measurements along with mugshots of ourselves, and from these she made — for more than 20 of us — the most exquisite and authentic garments that actually fit! The blouses are white with diamond-shaped swaths of red embroidery on the arms, and lace at the cuffs. The sleeveless dresses are woven from a lightweight black wool, and embroidered with hundreds of gold sequins and cord (a photo is here). These costumes were made possible in large part by an incredibly generous, anonymous donation. We want to trumpet big huge thank yous to our anonymous costume angel, to our seamstress Lilya, and to our chorus member Liz who has taken on the role of costume mistress. Keep an eye out for us in our new threads at upcoming concerts!
Quartet of Songbirds August, 2009 Well, June was soggy as a donut in coffee, but all that rain brought us the most beautiful, eclectic flock of new singers! Ariel Weinberg came across the country, accordion in tow, to work at the MIT Museum. Jenée Morgan is a fiddle player and music librarian at Berklee. Margo Pearce, a nurse practitioner, sang us an early 20th-century courting chanty at her audition, which we roundly loved. And professional photographer Gabrielle Keller has long played the piano, and now is singing. Welcome ladies! We are so happy & lucky to have your wonderful new voices and energies in our chorus & orchestra.
Two Lovely New Singers January, 2009 We are so happy to welcome two new singers to Divi Zheni this season! In the fall Reed Ferenbaugh joined us from Rhode Island with her beautiful, lyrical voice. She sings and plays folk harp with Anne's Cordial, and at her audition she sang a true yodel for us, which carried us away to a high mountain meadow. And this winter Liz Young returned to the east from California where she studied Eastern European music with Bon Brown Singer. Luckily for us she brought her beautiful, expressive alto voice and her gorgeous Russian accent with her! Welcome to you both!
Sedenkas Rock! December-January, 2008 This holiday season our director Tatiana had the wonderful idea of organizing holiday concerts with her "girls" (Divi Zheni), and "boys" (Zornitsa) as sedenkas. In wintertime, in this festive Bulgarian tradition, the young and old, men & women, single folks, married couples & kids, having finished their farming work for the year, would get together for a sedenka — a work party indoors. They would sew, knit, carve, sing, make up new songs, dance and eat popcorn and other seasonal treats. This is what we did with our audiences in December and January! The concerts were so fun and warm and inclusive. Our very game audience members learned and sang songs, and got up and danced a LOT. Some brought thier knitting! At our Springstep sedenka, co-hosted by Violeta Zheliazkova of BGFocus, we were also treated to brilliant accompaniment by accordionist Kolyo Kolev, the sweet sounds of the Balkan Revels kids, and the fiery footwork of the dance ensemble Mladost. They lit up the place as always! In the midst of winter and these troubled times, we were grateful to be together with friends and family in music and dance.
New Songs for the Fall September, 2008 Tatiana, our artistic director, traveled and toured in Bulgaria this summer with our friends-in-song Libana. What a culturally alive time they had! When Tania came back she had new songs for us to work on, including the beautiful and mischevious Trendafilcheto, which is sung in a dialect. The lyrics translate roughly as: Donna is beautiful like a carnation. A boys says to her "If you marry me, I'll buy you an embroidered dress at the market, and yellow shoes, and I will watch you wear them." Oh my!
And Another Beautiful Voice! April, 2008 Out of the blue we were contacted by Sarah Walsh, who, though classically trained, grew up around Balkan singing, as her parents were in the Balkan music groups, Aman, and Nevenka. It's easy to tell that Sarah has Balkan music in her ear and heart! Welcome Sarah — we're delighted you found us!
Welcome to Our New Singers! January, 2008 Through our recent Balkan Revels experience, we were delighted to get to know many people in the Boston area who are as in love with Bulgarian music as we are. And we are even more delighted and happy to have three of them join Divi Zheni! Here's a warm welcome to Kim Keown, Jane Culbert, and Beate Gottschlich — we love having your beautiful voices and selves around :).
A Festive Christmas Revels Indeed December, 2007 This holiday season our artistic director, Tatiana Sarbinska, and two Divi Zheni singers, Freedom Baird and Aine Farrell, participated in Cambridge's annual Christmas Revels. Every year, Revels explores traditional culture from a different region of the globe, and this year it was full-on Balkan! Tatiana provided consulting on gorgeous seasonal repertoire, and coached the huge chorus of adults and children, and the featured world-music artists Libana, to make a powerful Balkan sound. Bringing the beautiful and rich music, dance, costumes and traditions to 18-shows worth of enthusiastic audiences in Cambridge's lovely Sanders Theater was a lot of work, but a thrill! Click here for 2007 Christmas Revels photos.
Back from Sofia, Blagoevgrad, Chepelare... October, 2007 In early October eight members of Divi Zheni traveled to Bulgaria, and joined our sister ensemble, Orfeia, to support our artistic director, Tatiana Sarbinska in her retrospective concert series, Bridge Beyond Borders. Tatiana was phenomenal and the concerts and touring were thrilling. Click here for Priscilla's and Paula's write-ups, including some gorgeous photos.
Members of Divi Zheni to perform in Bulgaria - August, 2007 Some members of Divi Zheni will join with Washington DC's Balkan vocal group, Orfeia, as well as the renowned Pirin Ensemble, in a retrospective concert honoring Tatiana Sarbinska, Divi Zheni and Orfeia's artistic director. The concerts will take place in October, at the Symphony Hall in Sofia and the State Opera House in Blagoevgrad. Very exciting! Check Tatiana's website for details.
Tatiana's New CDs are available in the USA! - April, 2007 We are proud, tickled and thrilled to announce that our artistic director, Tatiana Sarbinska, has two new CDs out, and that their shipment has finally arrived stateside! The first disc is Katerino Mome, a newly issued compilation of Tatiana's legendary recordings, produced by the Bulgarian National Radio. The second disc, Makedonsko Devojche, features brand new recordings by Tatiana of traditional and contemporary folk songs. It includes Oj Dimitre Sine Mitre, written by Tatiana, and now a big hit in Bulgaria!
We had a wonderful time on March 25th celebrating the CDs' release with Tatiana. She performed for a standing-room-only house in Newton's Trinity Episcopal Church. The crowd was full of Bulgarians, Americans, and even Ambassador Nikolay Milkov, Bulgarian Consul General to the USA! Divi Zheni performed, and so did Zornitsa, and the fabulous Balkan dance troup Ludo Mlado. The evening wrapped up with chairs cleared away, and everyone dancing — that's what I call a party!
Bulgarian folk songs of love - March, 2007 So many English-speakers who love Bulgarian vocal folk music are drawn to the harmonies, but don't always know the songs' translations. Many that we sing are love songs, featuring dark-eyed brides, crazy boys, red wine, and boisterous wedding parties. For a window onto some of the language and poetry of the lyrics, here are translations of two of our favorites, Ludo Mlado, and Pitat me Mamo.
Welcome to our new members! - November, 2006 Our roster has grown this fall, and we are delighted to welcome our new members, Cathie O'Neill, Priscilla Howell, Aine Farrell, Leilani Roser and Anna Stevens. Thanks new Divis, for bringing your good energy and strong voices to the chorus!
Visit from Elena Koleva - October 7, 2006 Kate invited a newly-made friend to sit in on rehearsal the other night. It was Elena Koleva, a Bulgarian woman who lives in the Boston area, and performs American and European jazz music. The evening turned into an intercultural musical exchange, and Elena sang a traditional Bulgarian song for us which blew us away. She has a rich, resonant, expressive voice that we hope to hear more of!
Our first gig of the season - September 5, 2006 After two weddings of Divi Zheni members and a summer of travels and various adventures, including Tatiana's new recordings in Bulgaria, we're back rehearsing at The Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Allston. Our first performance this fall will be in late October, at MIT's International Folk Club. It'll be a nice low-key evening of dance songs and dancing. Check the calendar for details.
DiviZheni.net is live! - September 1, 2006 Welcome to Divi Zheni's new website. Here you'll find performance announcements, contact info, Divi Zheni history, photos, chorus member bios, and more. We welcome your feedback - drop us a line! freedom@plaidbathtub.net |
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We are so grateful for all these years of learning and performing with our director Tatiana, and sharing this music that we love so deeply with our wonderful audiences. Come celebrate with us at a 
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