Nevenka was created in 1976 by members of Los Angeles’ celebrated Aman Folk Ensemble with a mission to investigate and share with their audience the multifaceted and mysterious sounds of Balkan vocal music.
Drawing on their relationships with admired primary sources such as Nena Shokcic of Lado Folk Dance Ensemble of Croatia, Nevenka rapidly became ambassadors of the World Music movement in the United States at a time when access to Eastern European music and musicians was limited.
Currently, Nevenka’s recordings, concerts, contributions to film, television and video game sound tracks as well as onstage collaborations with musicians from the areas of classical, gospel, pop and rock continue to delight audiences across musical genres.
Nevenka’s varied world music repertoire includes songs from Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Croatia, Albania, Russia, Greece, and Georgia, as well as Ladino Sephardic and Roma (Gypsy) songs.
Nevenka has worked attentively with prominent 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 characteristic imprint – adventurous arrangements, haunting harmonies and diverse vocal styles.
Notable Nevenka Alumni include Azam Ali (Vas/Niyaz), Mamak Khadem (Axiom of Choice), Angela Rodel (Gologan) and Eva Salina Primak (AE/Slavic Soul Party.)
Under the direction of Trudy Israel, Nevenka has been presented by major music festivals and is prominent in the Los Angeles world music scene having performed at Bordello, Club Tropical, El Cid and Tangier and ATX (Atwater Crossing). The choir has collaborated with The Aman Folk Ensemble, The Yeseta Brothers, Zedashe Ensemble from the Republic of Georgia, and the rock band Foreign Born.
Members of Nevenka have contributed to the soundtracks of Xena, Warrior Princess and Heroes of Might and Magic.
Nevenka performed with Tzvetanka Varimezova and Ivan Varimezov on a tour of Bulgaria in August of 2010. Nevenka appears in film called “May it Fill Your Soul,” which documents the tour.
Upon returning from Bulgaria, Nevenka joined these same artists for a full concert at the Getty Center theatre. FolkWorks presented Nevenka at the Santa Monica Museum in a show featuring American as well as Eastern European music.
The group entertained Bulgarian, Hungarian and Kazakh consular communities for a Tengri celebration. Nevenka performed at Royce Hall’s season opening celebration prior to the Goran Bregovic concert. The group has continued to explore varied performance opportunities and to expand its educational outreach.
In the fall of 2014, Nevenka was invited to present a full concert at the Ojai World Music Festival. In the true spirit of world music, Nevenka collaborated with award-winning banjo virtuoso and composer, Jayme Stone and his quintet. Soon after, Nevenka appeared at the Talking Stick in Santa Monica and Fais Do Do in Los Angeles.
Nevenka has released four recordings on their own label; Songs of Eastern Europe (Volume One), Memories of Eastern Europe (Volume Two), Reflections of Eastern Europe (Volume Three) and When Marigolds Sing (Volume 4) .
Much of Nevenka’s material is performed in its traditional a cappella form. Nonetheless, the 15 singers often accompany themselves on a variety of instruments including guitar, violin, mandolin, panduri, tambura, daf, dumbek, tambourine, tupan and cajón.
Many of the group’s performances include collaborations with other musicians who play kaval, tambura, accordion, bass, guitar, and percussion.
Discography:
Songs of Eastern Europe (1987)
Memories of Eastern Europe (1994)
Reflections of Eastern Europe (2004)
When Marigolds Sing (2014)
Official website: Nevenka
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.