Iron Room Eglwysfach, Machynlleth

‘K’ak’ali’ is a community choir based between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth that only sings three-part harmony songs from the Georgian Folk Tradition.

‘K’ak’ali’ mean walnuts, or just nuts! Walnuts are much used in Georgian dishes, and we chose the name as rather appropriate for a group who are nuts about Georgian song! Many of these singers have enjoyed singing Georgian songs for over twenty years and although most live near Aberystwyth or in outlying villages, some travel from as far as Oswestry to be part of the group.

The choir meets once a month to learn new songs and rehearse and is co-led by Joan Mills and Linda Gwillim.

Joan began learning many of these songs in 1994 directly from two renowned Georgian ethnomusicologists, Edisher Garakanidze and Josef Jordania, and Linda Gwillim has sung and taught alongside Joan for the past twenty-five years. Linda and Joan also sing with Peter Gwynne as the trio ‘Bright Field and with Liz Walmsley as ‘Samaia’, specialising in Georgian Women’s songs.’

For the present K’ak’ali is closed choir (a fixed number of participants) in order to allow the group to fully absorb and establish the repertoire they have developed, but anyone can contact us to register their interest in joining. We will be organising workshops to introduce new members to the choir in future. Everything is taught by ear and we work on developing the expressive voices of choir members through exercises and improvisations alongside teaching the songs .

Sundays once per month dates arranged and agreed in three terms

Victoria Road, Horwich, Bolton

Kadenza is a women’s choir that meets weekly. We have been going for 19 years and our members age from 14 to 86.

Monday evenings from 7.30 to 9.00

Lime Walk Methodist Church, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7AB
HEADINGTON

A weekly women’s choir singing Georgian polyphony in Oxford.

We meet on Tuesdays 7pm-9pm @ Lime Walk Methodist Church Hall, Headington (entrance on New High St).

• Learn harmony songs from the Republic of Georgia.
• Enjoy sharing songs and friendship with a community of women singers.
• Led by Natural Voice leader Holly Taylor-Zuntz.
• Guest masterclasses from Teona Lomsadze, Georgian singer and ethnomusicologist.
• Access to learning tracks in separate voices for you to practice along to at home.
• Folk and city songs from both women’s and men’s repertoire.
• Vocal technique, embodiment practices and finding your ‘folk’ voice.
• Historical and social context of the songs, as well as translations.
• Working towards a lunchtime concert at St. Michael’s at the Northgate

Testimonial:
‘Holly is a fantastically energetic and inspiring leader and I am loving my new style of singing. Even if I arrive at rehearsal feeling tired, Holly soon has me feeling revived and enthusiastic. I thoroughly recommend Kalta for an inspiring experience and for making new friends in a warm and friendly and supportive community.’

Pricing:
Full course of 11 sessions: £110 (£10/session)
Drop-ins: £12
If you need a concession, please contact me by email to arrange this, no need to explain your circumstances. hollytaylor575@gmail.com

How to pay?
Booking on TicketTailor does NOT mean you have paid, after completing the booking please make a BACS transfer to my account.

The details are:
Name: Holly Taylor
Bank: Co-op
Sort Code: 08-93-00
Account Number: 80438621
If asked for a reference write: KALTA and your name/initials

FAQs

I CAN ONLY COME TO SOME OF THE SESSIONS. CAN I DROP IN?

The aim of this project is to build a community of women who sing Georgian songs together. So I would encourage everyone to commit to as many sessions as possible. However, I know this is not always possible, so there is the option to drop-in. Please note that if you drop-in mid way through the term, we will be recapping songs we have already learned and these will not be taught from scratch each time. You can listen to learning tracks beforehand to familiarise yourself with the songs.

I AM TRANS/NON BINARY. IS THE CHOIR FOR ME?

‘Kalta’ means women in Georgian. I have decided to focus this project on women’s voices because there is an intangible magic created when women come together to sing. In traditional Georgian society, some songs are only sung by women (though our repertoire will not be limited to these).

Of course, this begs the question ‘what is a ‘woman’s’ voice’?, especially in our modern society where people of all genders or no genders are recognised (at least that’s the society I want to live in!). While I want to be as inclusive as possible, I am aiming for a specific aesthetic in our group sound.

It’s not about how high or low your voice is – some cis women have a wonderful bass range for example. It’s more about the quality or timbre of your voice. So if you identify as a woman or non binary, and you think your voice blends well with women, then you are welcome. If you’re not sure, please reach out to me and we can have a chat about it.

I HAVE NEVER SUNG BEFORE. IS THIS CHOIR FOR ME?

There are no auditions for the choir, it’s a self selection process.
Georgian singing can be more challenging than western songs as the harmonies are unusual to our ears.
But singing in an unknown language can also be very freeing, and confidence building.
I have recently taken Natural Voice leader training, which involved helping singers find their unique voice, so I hope that this choir will be inclusive and empower singers to feel confident in their voice.
You do not need to:
– read sheet music
– sing solo
You do need to:
– match pitch (sing the same notes) as other people in your part
– keep a steady rhythm

I don’t recommend this choir for your first ever sing!

You are very welcome to book for the first session as a drop in and see how it goes.
Having said all that, there is a small minority of singers who are unable to blend with others and affect the overall sound of the group. In those cases I may have to ask them to leave.

CAN I PARK AT THE VENUE?

Parking is very limited at the church. There is some street parking (no evening restrictions). Otherwise there is a public car park on Windmill Road and at Waitrose. There are bike racks outside the venue.

Tuesdays 7pm-9pm

Central Hall, Alice Street, Keighley, BD21 3JD

Friendly group for anyone who wants to experience the joy of singing with others. No experience needed. All welcome.

Alternative Sundays 2 - 3.30pm