Today on In Unison, we’re chatting with composer and director Karmina Šilec of Carmina Slovenika and Executive Artistic director Shira Cion of San Francisco-based Kitka about the upcoming premiere of the newly commissioned opera, “BABA: The Life and Death of Stana.”  This new opera offers an innovative, non-narrative take on Balkan epic story-singing traditions and explores themes of gender, otherness, choice, virginity, sexual identity, and the complexities of interpreting these Balkan gender-transformation stories through a contemporary, liberal, western gaze.

Music excerpts

• "Fly Trembling Spirit," by Kelly Atkins, performed by Kitka
• “Heyamoli,” by Tamar Buadze, performed by Kitka

Episode references

• BABA: The Life and Death of Stana
• Karmina Šilec 
• Choregie technique

Theme Song: Mr. Puffy by Avi Bortnik, arr. by Paul Kim. Performed by Dynamic