Tag Archives: Kosa Kolektiv

SONG SCAPING RESIDENCY

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SONG SCAPING is a four month residency at the Tranzac Club of workshops and performances by Andrea Kuzmich, intersecting traditional vocal polyphony, improvisation, and song. The Tranzac Club is located at 292 Brunswick Ave (just S of Bloor St).

THU JAN 19 7-9 PM
COLLIDING WITH KOLIADA

Koliada refers to a Slavic winter carolling tradition, thick in pagan references and gratitude, the practice usually starts in December can continue well into February – singing away those dark and cold winter nights!

7:00-8:15 PM Vocal Workshop learning winter carols
8:30-9:00 PM Performance of Koliada inspired repertoire with a small band AND YOU!!

(Here’s a little audio sample of what you may hear and sing along with)

The workshop will teach 2-3 traditional polyphonic Ukrainian winter carols. The performance then demonstrates how these songs and others are “scaped” into pieces arranged for a small band, consisting of: Andrea Kuzmich on voice & guitar; Alina Kuzma voice; Jaash Singh percussion; Jim Bish tenor sax; Michael Herring on bass; special guests from Kosa Koliadanyky AND YOU!!

SAT FEB 25 5-7 PM
UNCONVENTIONAL LOVE

UNCONVENTIONAL LOVE…will feature 2-3 singer/songwriters presenting their original compositions and arrangements that challenge the conventional love ballad, and offer new “scapes” of the love song.

More info to come…

THU MAR 16 7-9 PM
SPRINGING CAROLS

Vesninanky are Ukrainian spring carols. Many of these are ritualistic and, with their use of interesting vocal techniques and powerful dissonance, represent some of the most archaic layer of Ukrainian polyphony.

7:00-8:15 PM Vocal Workshop learning Vesnyanky (spring carols)
8:30-9:00 PM Performance of vesnyanky-inspired repertoire with a small band AND YOU!! …….more details to come…

SAT APRIL 22 5-7 PM
SCAPING THROUGH TRADITIONAL SONGS

On this last date, the workshop will focus on vocal improvisation, covering some sounding and improv techniques, and how they can be used in rearrangements of traditional polyphonic songs. The performance will feature mostly a capella arrangements of Ukrainian and Georgian songs, including the Sound Stepping Suite, commissioned by Urban Vessel for riverMouth on the Echoes app.

5:00-6:15 PM Vocal Workshop
6:30-7:00 PM Performance with participation from YOU!!

more details to come…

ALL WORKSHOPS AND PERFORMANCES ARE PWYC & TAKE PLACE AT:

THE TRANZAC CLUB, 292 BRUNSWICK AVE (just South of Bloor in Toronto).

KOLIADA: Ukrainian Community Carolling Group

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Koliada is nearly upon us! 

Not unlike the needs of so many people & cultures at this time of year, when the weather gets cold and the nights so long, KOLIADA is an occasion to come together, connect, and make the darkened cold season pass quickly trough celebration and song.

With less than 2 weeks left, our Koliada rehearsals are now closed. Over the past 3 weeks we have accumulated a great group of singers but now we now have to fine tune our style and learn the last set of songs.

Starting Dec 27, we are unable to accommodate guests into our rehearsals.

We are, however, still accepting invitations to visit houses for January 7th – so if you would like Kosa Kolektiv’s Koliada carollers to visit your home, please contact kosa.kolektiv@gmail.com.

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WORKSHOPS, REHEARSALS & CAROLLING

WORKSHOP SUNDAY DEC 11 2:30 – 4:30 PM

LOCATION CHANGE: the Belarus Orthodox Church, 524 St Clarens Ave. By donation. Suggested $20-30. Follow the link above to get to the FB event.
PLEASE REGISTER VIA kosa.kolektiv@gmail.com.

REHEARSALS!!!

WEDNESADYS 7-9 PM

BELARUS ORTHODOX CHURCH,

524 St Clarens Ave, just over a block north of Bloor and one block east of Lansdowne. Closest TTC is Lansdowne station.

CAROLLING JANUARY 7

The big carolling event is on January 7, Orthodox Christmas. We will be traveling in different groups, by car, visiting homes around the GTA. Make sure to book this day off for koliada!

There will likely be more opportunities to perform in December and January, and possibly additional rehearsals when needed to accommodate the needs of the group and individual singers.

REPERTOIRE, RESOURCES & PRACTICE

Here is our KOSA KOLIADA REPERTOIRE google doc for 2022-2023!!

You will find lyrics in Ukrainian, with transliterations, rough translations and audio file references. So, you can start listening and practicing immediately!! Also note that we will be updating the doc and adding more sound files and/or songs.

Some of the audio references even have sing-a-long files. Please use HEADPHONES with the singalong files. The RIGHT CHANNEL features a solo voice and the LEFT CHANNEL all the other voices. To learn, just listen to the RIGHT CHANNEL. To practice, just listen to the LEFT CHANNEL and add your own voice into the mix. Please also be aware, these files are very rough sketches to help learn the song & it’s highly recommended to practice/study from the original sound files as well.

NOTE: it is important that singers are able to sing harmonies and not just the main melody or top voice. The musical director and other seasoned singers will help develop the group’s harmony-singing skills, as well the authentic Ukrainian singing quality known as ridnyj holos. And for those who are not Ukrainian-speaking, don’t worry, we will also help with pronunciation. If you have any questions about your interest and desire to participate, please reach out to us through the contact form below.

OTHERS ROLES

Not a harmony singer but still want to take part? There are other ways you can volunteer. Please reach out to us using the form below.

CONTACT US ABOUT KOLIADA!





MusiCamp Stage at the Dundas West Festival 2017!

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MUSIC FOR KIDS AND BY KIDS
ALL IN THE HEART OF THE KIDS ZONE

FREE AFRICAN DRUM WORKSHOP
MEET MUSICAMP INSTRUCTORS
LIVE MUSIC BY YOUNG LOCAL PERFORMERS

We are so so so excited to be part of the vibrant Dundas West community that puts on such an amazing festival. MusiCamp is curating the Kids Stage again, providing more opportunities for our local and talented youth to showcase their art – plus we’re hosting another drum workshop. All starting at 11 am, at 1525 Dundas St West, just west of Dufferin.
The full line up of events can be found on our Facebook event page

WEST AFRICAN DRUMMING WORKSHOP 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm

The public joining in on MusiCamp’s African Drum workshop at The Dundas West Festival 2016.

This goes way beyond a drum circle! MusiCamp’s West African Drum instructor Anna Melnikoff will teach workshop participants patterns and licks on djembe and the interlocking patterns on the dunun – side-playing drums.

More info can be found on this post.

Check out MusiCamp’s stage at the 2016 and 2015 Dundas West festivals.

LIVE MUSIC BY LOCAL YOUNG PERFORMERS 11 am – 4:30 pm

From 11 am to 4:30 pm the stage will be filled with live music. This year we welcome back sweet songsters Tangled Chords (formerly known as The Moir and Tollar Girls, see video below), Rebekah Wise and Sofia Hong. The Makharashvili Family will show us what traditional Georgian folk music is like from the other side of the world and to do a total 180, we go the new pop group Girl Pow-r . We’ll have some dance from Eclective Collective and students from MusiCamp will feature some body percussion and blue grass tunes.

 
And towards the end of our programming, we look forward to the surprisingly well seasoned young rockers 321 Sleep, whose Soundcloud demo you can hear below. The new group Ape, all of whom are students from either Etobicoke School of the Arts or Rosedale Heights School of the Arts, will also be rocking it out.

 

MusiCamp and Other Activities


MusiCamp will have a tent, so please visit us – try our the home made bucket basses and diddley bows, ask questions about our teaching and camps or just come and say “Hi!” Also don’t forget, there will be lots of other activities and crafts offered by other local organizations and business to take part in all around our stage.

A REMINDER
Don’t forget to bring sun screen, sun hats and water bottles! Also, the Kids Stage is located at 1525 Dundas St W, just West of Dufferin.  WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE!

Trio From Canada…

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attends the 8th International Symposium on Traditional Polyphony

MusiCamp director, Andrea Kuzmich, along with her son and friend, Mario Morello (fellow singer, ethnomusicologist and regular MusiCamp student of Georgian polyphony) are going to Georgia to take part in the 8th International Symposium on Traditional Polyphony.
Morello and Kuzmich are both presenting papers and all three will also be performing at a large international community of scholars and singers of traditional polyphony.

Kuzmich’s paper discusses the creation of “urban folk culture” in Toronto by Kosa Kolektiv’s use of traditional Ukrainian polyphony. Kuzmich has been an active member of Kosa Kolektiv symposium-2016community since 2013 and has even reported on their work, specifically their spring festival Haivky, in MusiCamp’s news posts. Morello’s paper discusses his research on the multi-part singing tradition of Salento, Italy.  To read up on both Kuzmich’s and Morello’s abstracts (p33 and 36 respectfully), follow the link to the symposium’s electronic booklet.

 

For those of you in Toronto, come and see them off at a special collaborativeeggplant-stew_colour_sml fundraising event called Eggplant Stew! They will make a few short and sweet cameo appearances amongst a smorgasbord of other excellent world-music musicians – on Friday September 16, 8pm at Clay & Paper Theatre‘s new studio!
Visit the Facebook event for more info.

 

MusiCamp at the Dundas West Festival 2016!

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MUSICAL PROGRAMMING FOR KIDS AND BY KIDS
ALL IN THE HEART OF THE KIDS ZONE

FREE AFRICAN DRUM & BODY PERCUSSION WORKSHOPS
CRAFTS by KOSA KOLEKTIV
MEET MUSICAMP INSTRUCTORS
LIVE MUSIC BY YOUNG LOCAL PERFORMERS

We are so so so excited to be part of the vibrant Dundas West community that puts on such an amazing festival. MusiCamp is curating the Kids Stage again, providing more workshops, hosting crafts by Kosa Kolektiv and this year we’ll be smack in the middle of the kids stage, located at 1525 Dundas St West, just west of Dufferin.

BODY PERCUSSION WORKSHOP 11:45 am – 12:30 pm

clap handsLed by MusiCamp Director Andrea Kuzmich and aided by young MusiCampers themselves, the event will demonstrate some pieces that use body percussion and then proceed to teach the audience short cells of body percussion that can be built upon each other and layered ontop of each to create some cool grooves.

WEST AFRICAN DRUMMING WORKSHOP 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm

This goes way beyond a drum circle! MusiCamp’s West African Drum instructor Anna Melnikoff will teach workshop participants patterns and licks on djembe (as seen briefly in the video to your left) and the interlocking patterns on the dunun – side-playing drums.
More info can be found on this post.
 

LIVE MUSIC BY LOCAL YOUNG PERFORMERS 11 am – 4:30 pm

BrighidFry At DuWestFest

From 11 am to 4:30 pm the stage, when not presenting percussion workshops, will be filled with live music. This year we welcome back sweet songsters Brighid Fry, The Moir and Tollar Girls, and Rebekah Wise. MusiCampers will also be performing – a host of blue grass tunes and some African American work songs.

And we also have some new performers as well. We are very excited to welcome Young Voices Toronto (formerly the High Park Choir) to the stage YVTwith their Chamber Choir, many of whom live in or so close the Dundas West Community. Be prepared to be inspired by this choir of 8-11 youth, whose sweet voices and sensitive tuning perform music from around the world. We also have songsters Marlowe Dondertman, Lia Ashkenas, and the Rock Band Kingdom of the Birds joining the stage.
 
 
 
 

CRAFTS BY KOSA KOLEKTIV

Kosa craftsMid day, the spirited Kosa Kolektiv will be hosting some folk crafts in the MusiCamp tent, located just next to the stage. They will be also promoting Folk Camp, an all-ages Folk camp in Grafton (on Lake Ontario) where a wide array of workshops will be available – from print, mask, and instrument making, to Georgian, Ukrainian and other forms of singing, to canning and medicinal herb foraging.
 
 

A REMINDER

Don’t forget to bring sun screen, sun hats and water bottles! Also, the Kids Stage is located at 1525 Dundas St W, just West of Dufferin.  WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE!

 

Haivky: Kosa Kolektiv’s Spring Festival Revives More than Tradition…

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Kosa’s Festival Revives the True Meaning of a Festival.

Preamble: this post is part of a larger discussion on the traditional uses of art to empower, foster community, and resolve conflict – a driving force to MusiCamp’s programming. Also note that while this post is from 2015, the date, location and egg-decorating workshops listed at the bottom of the page are updated for 2016

 

When one mentions “festival” in this part of the world, people immediately think of it in commercial terms – big stages, sound systems, visiting artists, official schedules, ticket sales, wrist bands, CDs and many other forms of merchandising – from specialty foods to cultural wares. But this is not the sort of festival Kosa Kolektiv will be bringing to Trinity Bellwoods Park this Sunday. There will be no stage. No sound systems. No vendors trying to sell you food. No money will ever cross hands. In contrast, this is a true community celebration to welcome Spring back to Toronto!

Haivky is a traditional Ukrainian community celebration of renewal that occurs in the days after Easter. Kosa Kolektiv, the host organizer for this event, is comprised of a group of young women of Ukrainian heritage who are determined to make folk forms relevant to our contemporary urban existence. And true to their word, this event, while based on a Ukrainian peasant tradition, has been re-learned and revitalized for not just a pan-Slavic experience but for a multi-cultural Toronto experience. Ancient songs from Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Bulgaria and Georgia will be calling forth spring. Rituals of washing away the crustiness of winter and children’s weaving dances and games played under the open sky will welcome the onset of longer days, the warmth of the sun, and regeneration that’s on the way. And adults will be entertained with fiddlers, a bassist, accordion and woodwind players from the Lemon Bucket Orkestra and Balfolk Toronto, who will be leading village-styled dancing from France, Briton and other parts of Western Europe and America.

Best of all, the festival will offer a pure acoustic experience, free of electronic mediation or amplification. This in itself should be celebrated as it is a rarity in our age of connectivity! It is this sense of community building through artistic forms, especially music, that I admire. This, in part, is the motivating force of my own professional and personal development, including MusiCamp. I’ll be at the festivities with my children, singing songs and dancing, and I encourage you all to come too, to experience the collective magic of song and dance in the beautiful outdoors of Trinity Bellwoods park, smack in the middle of Downtown Toronto. But be warned, no vendors will be there! This is a true festival– a community celebration – so come prepared with your own picnic basket and blanket to join in on and extend the fun!

Haivky 2013 3

Haivky is on Sunday, May 1, 2016
3:00 – 6:00 pm at Trinity Bellwoods Park
790 Queen St W Toronto, ON

Visit Kosa Kolektiv Hailky for more information.

In lead up to the festival Kosa Kolektiv also runs traditional easter egg decorating workshops.

MUSIC IN MAY 2013

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In case you want to meet Andrea in person and hear her in some of her eclectic musical projects, there are a number of opportunities – from Traditional Georgian polyphony, to solo jazz (voice and guitar), to all out contemporary improvisation. (All events are free unless otherwise noted.)

Sunday May 5 4pm Trinity Bellwood Park with KOSA KOLEKTIV

The womens’ Kosa Kolektiv aims to revitalize and reinterpret the entire web of peasant folklore in an urban context and such an opportunity is open to the public on Sunday May 5 at 4pm in Trinity Belwood’s park (starting at St Nicholas Church, 4 Bellwood Ave).

Members of the Kosa Kolektiv and Lemon Bucket Orkestra will be folk singing and leading traditional haivky and village folk dancing. All ages, family friendly free community event. Communal picnic. Bring a blanket, your easter baskets and any goodies to liven up the party! Dances will be called in Ukr. & Eng. http://kosakolektiv.com/

Read the write up in The Wholenote Magazine http://issuu.com/thewholenote/docs/1808-may2013/22

Thursday May 9 9pm SING! Harboufront with ZARI and ELEMENT CHOIR

Classic National Film Board of Canada shorts will be set to music by featured SING! Artists as part of this innovative and interactive event. These timeless films include masterworks by Norman McLaren, John Weldon, Arthur Lipsett, and Ishu Patel, and will feature the creative voices of FreePlay Duo, Patricia Green, JerJosh & the SteveCams, Zari, and The Element Choir. Don’t miss the sing-along finale of The Log Driver’s Waltz!

http://www.singtoronto.com/concerts/nfb-sings/

Saturday May 11 11:20am Community Asian Arts Fusion Festival Palmerston Library with DARBAZI

http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT132909&R=EVT132909

(Note the start time is listed wrong on the website)

Saturday May 11 3pm SING! Harboufront with ZARI

$20.00

SING! World Collaborations Concert is a celebration of music and vocal styles from across the globe. The concert will feature five inspiring World vocalists/ensembles, each paired with and accompanied by a local choir. In the spirit of inclusive creation and innovation, this high-energy concert will open your ears to new sounds and transport you to Europe, Asia, Africa, and back. Featured world artists include: Lizzy Mahashe (Music of South Africa), Aviva Chernick (Music of Judeo-Spanish tradition), Suba Sankaran (Music of South India), Scott Peterson (Music of Tuva/Mongolia), and Zari (Music of Georgia).

http://www.singtoronto.com/concerts/sing-world-collaborations/

Sunday May 12 3pm SING! Harbourfront, Lakeside Terrace with DARBAZI

https://www.facebook.com/events/183455161807335/

Saturday May 18 11am-1pm Main Street Farmer’s Market SOLO GUITAR AND VOICE

Andrea Kuzmich performs solo voice and guitar. 132 Robinson Street (Markham Road, 2 lights north of Hwy 7 on Robinson street)

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