Zeellia

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Born out of the Ukrainian cultural revival that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union; nurtured during Vancouver’s global music “golden age” in the early 90s; and recently revived in conjunction with a renewed fight to protect Ukrainian independence, Vancouver’s Slavic Soul band ZEELLIA has been at the forefront of a global Ukrainian cultural renaissance for more than 30 years.

Founded in 1991 by Beverly Dobrinsky as a means to celebrate her musical roots, ZEELLIA is currently a quintet of 3 female vocalists and 4 instrumentalists—accordion, violin, bass and hurdy gurdy. They weave a mystical spell singing and playing Slavic folksongs and dances from Ukraine, the Balkan and Baltic States, and the Canadian prairies. It is SLAVIC SOUL, rooted in the traditional with a contemporary edge, connecting the past with the present and the old country with the new. For this concert in support of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine facing the horror of war, ZEELLIA will be performing all Ukrainian repertoire.

In the spring of 2016, ZEELLIA released a new CD, ‘Tse Tak Bulo / That’s How it Was’, that is both beautifully reverent toward Ukrainian tradition and filled with vital new energy. With its combination of field recordings from the 90’s featuring snippets of elders singing and talking and new arrangements and compositions based on old songs featuring female voices with violin, accordion, bass and hurdy gurdy accompaniment, “the CD is both a historical document and an artistic statement. Zeellia’s approach to these traditional songs lives firmly in the realm of artistic reinterpretation, rather than an ethnographic recreation. With her mixture of vocal and instrumental textures, Dobrinsky takes great liberties with the found materials pushing them into the realm of original compositions rather than mere arrangements.” - Anna Pidgorna, The Whole Note. 

 COVID-19 Policy: We are operating in full compliance of all BC Health restrictions. We are limiting our maximum in-person audiences to 70% capacity. The wearing of masks is required when not seated. This includes when dancing. Social distancing is enccouraged.  Everyone in attendance must have proof of being fully vaccinated. Volunteers, staff and performers will be as well. (If you haven't been vaccinated, the concert will be streamed.) Restrictions may change if subsequent BC Health announcements are made.

The Rogue Folk Club is pleased to provide great Sponsorship Opportunities for all our shows. For a nominal cost, individuals or businesses can sponsor any of our shows and reap a number of benefits - free tickets, reserved table, recognition on literature, our web site and at the concerts. Find out more here, or simply contact our Sponsorship Director Morris Biddle at mobiddley@me.com