DAVIS: Friday, December 5 @ 8pm / Davis Community Church

BELVEDERE: Saturday, December 6 @ 8pm / St. Stephen's Church

SANTA CRUZ: Saturday, December 13 @ 7:30pm / Peace United Church

MENLO PARK: Sunday, December 14 @ 4pm / St. Bede's

OAKLAND: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, December 18, 19, 20 @ 8pm / St. Paul's Episcopal Church

SAN FRANCISCO: Sunday, December 21 @ 4pm / Old First Concert (In-person and Live Stream Tickets available!)

For tickets and more information, visit: kitka.org/events

A refreshing spin on traditional seasonal choral music…thoroughly marvelous!
- NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO

For 25 years, Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble's annual Wintersongs concerts have explored songs from across Eastern Europe that summon the return of light and hope in times of difficulty and darkness.

This year’s concerts will feature many of the songs on the ensemble’s long awaited new album, Kolo, which will be released globally next year, but pre-release copies of the album will be available for sale at all Wintersongs events.

Kolo – a root word resonant across Balkan, Baltic and Slavic cultures – means circle, wheel and a spiraling communal line dance. It is the cosmic cycle of creation, growth, destruction and renewal; the eternal turning of seasons; and the shared rhythms of lives woven together. For Kitka, the kolo also represents our ever-evolving circle of voices, a close-knit co-creative community of women bound by breath and friendship. This lovingly curated cycle of traditional and newly imagined songs invites listeners into Kitka’s kolo, a place where giving voice and deep listening revolve in a timeless dance of dissonance and harmony.

ABOUT KITKA WOMEN’S VOCAL ENSEMBLE
Inspired by traditional songs and vocal techniques from Eastern Europe and Eurasia, Kitka has earned international recognition for its distinctive sound, exploring a vast palette of ancient yet contemporary sounding vocal effects. Kitka's commitment to presenting traditional song as a living and evolving expressive art form has led to adventurous collaborations with some of the world's most exciting indigenous musicians and contemporary composers ranging from Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares to Meredith Monk. Currently celebrating its 45th season, Kitka began as a grassroots group of amateur singers from diverse ethnic and musical backgrounds who shared a passion for the stunning
dissonances, asymmetric rhythms, intricate ornamentation, and resonant strength of traditional Eastern European women's vocal music. Since its informal beginnings, the group has evolved into an awardwinning touring ensemble known for its artistry, versatility and mastery of the demanding techniques of regional vocal styling, as well as for its innovative explorations in new music for women's voices. The ensemble's wide-ranging performance, teaching and recording activities have exposed millions to the haunting beauty of their unique repertoire.

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Balkan Sundays is BACK at Muddy Waters on December 14th, and we’re coming in with a blazing-hot lineup you absolutely cannot miss.

We’ve got an all-star crew ready to tear it up:
Camellia Boutros bringing the fire on trumpet
Jesse Stremski-Andrews, freshly back from 7 years in Bulgaria, lighting up the sax
Paul Marini holding down the groove on sousaphone
Ivan Velev driving the dance floor on tupan
…plus a rotating cast of heavy hitters sure to drop in and turn up the heat.

Trust us—this is going to be one of those nights.

And mark your calendars: Balkan Sundays will be happening every 2nd Sunday at Muddy Waters and every 4th Sunday at Ashkenaz.
(Quick note: we’re taking a December break at Ashkenaz, so no Balkan Sundays on 12/28.)

See you there—let’s make the walls shake

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Orkestar Seyir and DJ Freely are throwing a send-off celebration for Bissap Baobab on 12/19 from 7:30–12 PM — and you’re invited to bring the fire.

The night opens with DJ Freely warming up the dance floor, Orkestar Seyir takes over the middle set with full live energy — joined by the amazing Sean Tergis on dumbek — and DJ Freely closes out the night to keep the vibe going strong.

Come dance, sweat, and send Baobab off with the love it deserves. 💃🔥🪗 Let’s make this night unforgettable. (Yes, it’s true: Bissap Baobab is closing. 😥 https://missionlocal.org/2025/11/bissap-baobab-close-mission-search-spot/ )

The Berkeley Balkan Bacchanal at Starry Plough Pub presents Filip Filipov and Palamidhi/Jenette Sellin Birthday Bash
8 pm til late. Doors open at 7 pm; Tickets: $20 general/$15 students; All ages before 10 pm. 21+ after 10 pm. Beer and wine available at the bar. Kitchen closes at 10 pm.

To start out the show, we are pleased to introduce Filip Filipov, a virtuoso accordionist visiting from Bulgaria and performing in collaboration with local maestro percussionist Rumen Sali Shopov. At 10 pm, we will have a Greek folk dance set with Palamidi featuring Greg Jenkins, Jenette Sellin, Nick Maroussis and Michael Garibaldi. This group is coming together to celebrate the birthday of Jenette Sellin. As the midnight hour approaches, we will celebrate with a rockin’ Anatolian afterparty jam led by none other than Jarolim Gayri (guitarist and bouzouki wizard of Metanastys and Hadi Dede) with special guest Aharon Wheels Bolsta on drums and more friends sitting in.

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Balkan New Year’s Eve at Ashkenaz is back! Come ring in the New Year with three amazing live bands, dancing all night, champagne, and an energetic family friendly party!

This year features an opening set of vocal-harmony-forward tunes from the Balkans to the Bayou by True Life Trio, an exhilarating Balkan Brass dance party by Fanfare Zambaleta, and a folk dance accordion extravaganza by Dan Cantrell and friends! Bring your dance shoes, your shiny outfits, and a readiness to leap into 2026 surrounded by friends, family, and amazing live music!

Balkan New Years Eve | December 31st, 2025
DOORS OPEN: 8:00 PM
SHOW BEGINS: 8:30 PM

Tickets available at https://www.ashkenaz.com/#/events/158738
Advance tickets available until the day of the show!
Advance tickets $35, Day-of-show tickets $45
FREE ADMISSION for kids 12 and under!

New Year’s Eve at Ashkenaz is traditionally a night of Balkan music and dancing in honor of the late Ashkenaz founder David Nadel and the music he first featured at his world dance club. It is known to go until the late hours!

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