Artemisia Vocal Trio

March 22, 2021, 8:00 pm

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Artemisia Trio (Photo: Joe Mazza)

Join us for this Special Edition of Live From WFMT with vocal trio Artemisia co-presented by Chamber Music on the Fox. The performance — entitled Sounds Like Us — was recorded live at Imago Events in Elgin, Illinois on February 22, 2021.

Oliver Camacho hosts the broadcast. Program notes, texts, and translations can be found here.



Chicago-based vocal trio Artemisia (Diana Lawrence, Alexandra Olsavsky, Kaitlin Foley) harnesses the power of the female voice to tell stories through the vocal traditions of the world.

Praised for “sincerity, wit, and mind-blowing technique” (Vocal Arts Chicago) and for encouraging audiences to “celebrate the eternal feminine” (Robert McBride, All Classical Public Media), Artemisia brings diversity and accessibility to their programming. Not your typical stand-and-sing ensemble, Artemisia draws from a vast repertoire of vocal styles – from Appalachian folk, Tushetian highlander cries, Cuban dance music, and everything in-between to take audiences on a journey of sound and spirit with every performance.

Artemisia actively commissions and performs newly composed works by living female composers. Most recently, they performed a commissioned arrangement of “Es savai māmiņai” from Latvian composer, Kate Pukinskis, a liturgical premiere of Sungji Hong’s Missa Lumen de Lumine, and a world premiere of “O Nata Lux”, which Hong wrote specifically for the group. In addition to new commissions, all three members of Artemisia regularly compose for the group internally, frequently adding new arrangements and original compositions of their own to their programs.

In addition to performing, Artemisia provides educational outreach to community and youth ensembles on subjects such as cultural literacy through singing, improvisational songwriting, and female empowerment.

Biography courtesy of the artists’ website.

Playlist

Mothers of Daughters – Diana Lawrence, Text by Signe Hammer

Tokhnuri – Traditional from Kartli, Georgia 

Canto De Pilon – Traditional Venezuelan, Arr. Cristian Grases

Hazeremos Una Merenda/Quita’l Tas – Traditional Sephardic, Arr. Nell Snaidas

 

Yemayá Assessu – Traditional Yoruban

Queen of the Earth, Child of the Stars – Leela and Ellie Grace

Go to Sleep – Traditional American Folk, Arr. Alexandra Olsavsky

 

Yome Yome – Traditional Yiddish, Arr. Viktor Ullmann

Whistle Daughter Whistle – Traditional English, Arr. Moira Smiley & VOCO

Mama Don’t Like My Man – Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Arr. Kaitlin Foley

Suit and Tie/Puttin’ On the Ritz – Justin Timberlake/Irving Berlin, Arr. Diana Lawrence

Mein Kleine Grüne Kaktus – Comedian Harmonists, Arr. Diana Lawrence
Agnus Dei – Traditional Corsican

 

Mala Moja – Traditional Croatian “Klapa” from Dalmatia

Bossa Cubana – Los Zafiros, Arr. Kaitlin Foley

Why I’m Grieving – The DeZurik Sisters (The Cackle Sisters), Arr. Kaitlin Foley

“Oró Sé do Bheatha ‘Bhaile” – traditional Irish

“If You Chose To” by Kaitlin Foley; text adapted by the composer from Sandra Cisneros’ “You Like to Give and Watch Me My Pleasure ” from LOOSE WOMAN

What Happens When a Woman? – Alexandra Olsavsky