***Mar 2006 Focus pg 1-32 - Focus Magazine

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In perfect unisonJOE WIEBEThe Balkan Babes have travelled a long way.vibeIn performance, the Balkan Babes exhibit a calm serenity that underscoresthe eerily beautiful eastern European melodies and harmoniesthey sing. At their CD release concert in Duncan in early February,the music is mesmerizing, punctuated occasionally by trills or whoops.Some songs are soft and elegiac, while others are belted out withfervent ferocity. For an all-female choir, the range of voices is impressive.Some songs begin with one or two singers and then slowly growin complexity until all nine women are singing. Even though theysing unaccompanied without a conductor, no one ever seems to missa mark or wander off key.Between songs, members take turns introducing each tune, which areall sung in the original language: Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian,Georgian or Ukrainian. Each quirky, folksy synopsis earns a warm chucklefrom the audience: “Marry me off, old mother, while I’m young andthe girls are still interested in me,” or “The grass has grown high in mybeautiful green field. The proud girl will cut it and feed it to her horse.”The Balkan Babes clearly love singing these songs: their eyes shinebrightly as they sing, smiling at each other in obvious friendship. It’snot surprising, considering the long journey they have travelled togethergoing back 13 years, a story they shared with me at a rehearsal abouta month before the concert.What a different scene. Seated in a circle in one of the member’sliving rooms, with tea available for all, the Babes (as they refer to themselves)make it clear that they are a group of individuals. They haveno leader by choice, making all decisions collectively, even if thatprocess sometimes drives them all crazy. That dynamic becomes immediatelyapparent as they answer my questions—often interrupting eachother with corrections, anecdotes or inside jokes that send them allinto raucous fits of laughter. My head is on a swivel, bouncing fromvoice to voice. It is very entertaining, if a little confusing.Faro Sullivan starts off describing how it all began with a Thursdaymorning musical get-together for women in Fernwood. A lot of theoriginal members were stay-at-home moms with young children, soit was something to do socially.“It’s definitely still a group of women that need to meet and vent,”Chantal Leblond adds, earning a big laugh. “It’s a sisterhood, for sure.”“Almost everybody had a baby on the floor at some point,” Faro says.“A lot of our babies ended up at shows, too,” Chantal says. “Holdingthem. Nursing them.” Karen Visser recounts how she had her infantson asleep in a sling at an early concert. One song, “Dobro Do?le,” hassome loud keening in it—which woke him up—so she nursed himonstage. “He wasn’t hungry, but it kept him quiet.”The original group began performing publicly and recorded a coupleof CDs, but their sheer size made it difficult to grow in ability. “It wascrazy,” Faro says. “At one time we were in a basement recording studiowith 17 of us.”Not everyone could attend practices regularly, so it was difficult tolearn new songs and expand their repertoire. As a result, in 2004they decided to form a performance group made up of those who couldcommit to a regular weekly practice schedule. That pared the groupdown to 13 members; a couple more left over the next few years. Andnow they are nine.PHOTO: TONY BOUNSALLThe Balkan BabesTop row (l-r): Karen Visser, Faro Annie Sullivan, Kristin Scott, Chantal LeblondMiddle: Laura Wilder, Rebekkah Dickson, Kelly SherwinFront: Genevieve Charbonneau, Pam CampbellThey grew in ability and repertoire, and began performing at festivalssuch as Luminara, Victoria Folkfest, and the Islands Folk Festival.Then, in 2008, they sent a four-song CD to CBC Radio’s Choral 2008choir competition.“We were not even thinking about it, and then we found out we hadalready been through three or four tiers of the competition,” explainsGenevieve Charbonneau.They found themselves singing in the live-to-radio final of the Pan-Traditional category against a Georgian men’s choir. The Balkan Babesperformed at Ryerson Church in Vancouver while the male choir sangin Toronto.“We heard the other choir singing while we were standing there,”and then it was their turn. “It was terrifying,” recounts Genevieve.But to their surprise, they won. The prize was a trip to Montreal toperform in a choral festival that featured all of the various categorywinners. That success has given them more confidence.36 April 2013 • FOCUS
“WE ALMOST WENT INSTRUMENTAL on the latestCD. A cowbell. There was a huge debate.”—Chantal“It’s almost an unconditional commitment now,” says Kelly Sherwin.“We see each other every week. It’s part of our lives.”“It’s like being married,” agrees Genevieve.No one in the choir actually speaks any of the Balkan languages, andonly one member, Laura Matthias Wilder, has any connection to theregion in her family background (she is “Slovakian, among other things”),but they have all developed a strong interest in Balkan culture andwould love to travel and perform there if they can ever find the moneyfor such a trip.“I think the complexity of the music is a big part of the draw,”Genevieve insists. “The material is getting more challenging as we goalong, and we are more drawn to try to work on songs that are harder,or even more foreign.”They find new material in a variety of ways, including workshopswith native Balkan singers. They worked with one couple who, Chantalsays, “toured into remote villages and collected field recordings of songsso they’re not even widely published or heard.” Three of those songsended up on their newest CD, Volio, which came out in December.Regardless of how they learn the music, the Balkan Babes definitelyput their own stamp on each song. Some are meant for male or mixedchoirs, but that doesn’t stop them. And they have resisted the urge toadd any instrumentation.“We almost went instrumental on the latest CD,” Chantal admits.“A cowbell. There was a huge debate.”“Hours and hours were devoted to the cowbell,” Karen adds abovebig laughter from the entire group.Now that they have released Volio, they are looking forward toperforming more. What else does the future hold?“Bulgaria 2015!” shouts Genevieve. It’s just a dream, but it is somethingthey’d love to do. “If we sell our CDs, maybe we can think aboutthat kind of thing,” adds Chantal.As the interview ends, I hang around to listen as the Babes get readyto rehearse. Chantal fetches her baby, Will, who just woke up from a nap.He ends up in someone else’s arms as they stand to sing a warm-up song.One moment, they are all chatting, multiple conversations overlapping,and then, suddenly, they are singing in perfect unison. It’s a cliché,but a shiver really does go up and down my spine. It’s such beautifulmusic. And I can still picture them standing in a close semicircle, smilingat each other, with baby Will in the middle, gazing up at the shining,smiling faces above him. He couldn’t be happier, and neither, it seems,could the Balkan Babes, doing what they love best: singing together.Symphony patron Maria Sanchez died in 1984.On Friday night, she’ll present a programof Bach, Brahms and Beethoven.A lifelong music lover, Maria never missed a classicalconcert. The works of the old masters made her heartsoar. Other hearts will soar because Maria includeda bequest to the symphony in her will.Thanks to Maria, her beloved orchestra won’t missa beat. Include your favourite cause in your will orestate plan. Contact a charitable organization, lawyer,financial advisor or local LEAVE A LEGACY programto learn how.The Balkan Babes will be performing April 6 at the United Churchin Ganges on Salt Spring Island; on May 5 at the Victoria Folk MusicSociety at Norway House on Hillside Ave, Victoria; and on June 22 atthe Campbell Bay Music Festival on Mayne Island.www.focusonline.ca • April 2013Joe Wiebe is a Victoria writer who specializes in storiesabout the arts, sports, travel and beer. His guidebookto BC's booming craft beer scene, Craft Beer Revolution,will be published in May. www.joewiebe.com orwww.thirstywriter.com.Consider a gift in your will for your favourite charities.Alan, 250-414-4781 or Barbara, 250-721-6207www.leavealegacy.ca37
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***Mar 2006 Focus pg 1-32 - Focus Magazine

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