PLAZA SERIES: Nevenka East European Folk Ensemble

Nevenka is a Los Angeles-based women’s folk chorus performing songs from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Croatia, Albania, Russia, Greece, and Georgia, as well as Ladino Sephardic and Romany (Gypsy) songs. The group was formed in 1976 by women who shared a common interest in the complex harmonies and compelling rhythms typical of Balkan music. Very much in the Eastern European tradition, Nevenka includes women of all ages making music together.

Nevenka was formed in 1976 by members of Los Angeles’ renowned Aman Folk Ensemble, with a mission to explore and share with their audience the complex and mysterious sounds of Balkan vocal music. Drawing on their relationships with venerable primary sources, such as Nena Shokcic of Lado Folk Dance Ensemble of Croatia, Nevenka quickly became ambassadors of the World Music movement in the United States at a time when access to Eastern European music and musicians was limited. Today, Nevenka’s recordings, concerts, contributions to film, television and video game sound tracks, as well as onstage collaborations with musicians from the worlds of classical, gospel, pop and rock, continue to delight audiences across musical genres.

Nevenka’s varied world music repertoire features songs from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Croatia, Albania, Russia, Greece, and Georgia, as well as Ladino Sephardic and Rom (Gypsy) songs. Nevenka has worked closely with renowned musicians — Tzvetanka Varimezova (The Koutev Bulgarian National Ensemble of Folk Song and Dance), Nena Shokcic (The Lado Croation Folk Ensemble), Joseph Jardaria (from the Republic of Georgia), Binka Dobreva and Ivanka Paunova (Pazardzhik Ensemble, Bulgaria) and members of the Zedashe Ensemble from Sighnagi, Georgia. The singers of Nevenka present folk material with a distinctive stamp — adventurous arrangements, haunting harmonies and varied vocal styles.  Read more at http://www.nevenka.org/