Program preview:
About ZAITSA:
Olga Zaitseva-Herz holds a PhD in Ethnomusicology from the Department of Music at the University of Alberta. She is a postdoctoral fellow at the Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore in Edmonton, Canada, and a voice instructor with over a decade of teaching experience. Her research focuses on Ukrainian Canadian music.
Olga is a professional musician with extensive international stage experience. Her classical training in violin and piano began at the age of seven, and later she added vocals to her repertoire, which profoundly shaped the course of her life. Alongside her classical pursuits, Olga has always been deeply interested in Ukrainian folk music, particularly the phenomenon of Ukrainian folk singing, which has been a source of inspiration throughout her career.
Her formal music education, obtained in Ukraine and Germany (at the Music Conservatory in Dnipro, the University in Kyiv, and the Wiesbaden Music Academy) where she studied violin, sound design and vocal pedagogy, further enriched her knowledge and deepened her understanding of Ukrainian folklore’s unique qualities through the prism of other music styles. Transcultural und multi-stylistic music practices have always profoundly moved her, and she has dedicated her life to studying, practicing and sharing these with her audiences.
In 2011, Olga founded the music band “ZAITSA” in Germany, where she rearranges and performs traditional Ukrainian folk songs. Alongside their creative compositions, a central goal of the ZAITSA project is to discover lesser-known or even forgotten folk pieces along with diaspora songs, bring them back to life and reinterpret. The band’s performance style blends elements of folk, jazz, and klezmer creating its original multicultural sound tapestry.
In 2012, ZAITSA produced their first EP for an appearance at the festival associated with the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in London. The band released its first album in 2018 which was after nominated and shortlisted for the Edmonton Music Prize. Later that year, in June, ZAITSA premiered a new program in Wiesbaden, Germany, combining archival field recordings of Ukrainian Canadian folk songs with modern musical arrangements. Olga discovered these recordings in Canadian archives, featuring a cappella performances by early Ukrainian immigrants recorded by Dr. Robert Klymasz. The project aimed to breathe new life into these original recordings by featuring them on stage alongside contemporary musical interpretations.
Olga dreams of one day establishing her own scholarship fund to support other scholars in their pursuits. Currently, she is focused on creating innovative sound compositions by integrating research with performance, and bringing these creations to the stage. Visit Zaitsa on Facebook
Who we are:
Olga Zaitseva-Herz-Voice, Violin
Marek Herz-Guitar
Torsten Knoll-Keys
Markus Wach-Bass
Martin Standke-Drums
Mathias Hößel-Percussion
Speaking German:
Unser Album ist DA!
Für die CD Bestellungen könnt ihr unser Kontaktformular benutzen oder eine E-mail schicken an: MAIL @ ZAITSA
"ZAITSA"- ist ein Zusammenklang der ukrainischen Folklore mit Pop-, Jazz- und Balkan Zutaten. Die Band "ZAITSA" wurde im Sommer 2012 gegründet. Ihre erste CD Veröffentlichung und erste Konzertreise nach London zur Eröffnung der Olympischen Spiele ( Festival MELA, Tunbridge Wells) machte die Band noch unter dem Bandnamen "Olga Zaitseva & Band" Das Programm besteht aus neuen Interpretationen von ukrainischer Folklore sowie aus Kompositionen der Sängerin und Violinistin, Olga Zaitseva. Die Band ist besetzt mit hervorragenden Musikern, die sich auch in anderen Formationen oder als Solokünstler in Deutschland bereits in der Musikszene etabliert haben.
Besucht ZAITSA auf Facebook
AMAZING NEWS:
ZAITSA is nominated and shortlisted for the Edmonton Music Prize 2018!
For more details listen to the interview with Olga on CBC Radio Active:
