Wisdom of Birds

Wisdom of Birds is a new staging of the Bulgarian Folk songs from Glas’ repertoire. The performance goes through 3 phases with each their corresponding undercurrent. In the beginning the singers are dancing and singing their way through life with a joyful and easy going attitude. Later this picture dissolves and is challenged by resistance, loss, doubt and grief. By the end, the seven singers experience redemption: They melt together as a flock of birds – floating in a sensual presence.

The singers express themselves with technical superpowers and a variety of musical expressions. The melodies are spiced with squealing and vocal improvisation. “Ancient power” and “magic attraction” are words the audience has used to describe their encounter with GLAS.

“My wish is, that each performance will collaborate with each unique space in a way that the audience, the singers and the space itself becomes one organism. An experience where vision, audio and the story of being human melt together and become one expression.”  – Instructor and set designer Veronica Hodges

The GLAS vocal ensemble

The GLAS vocal ensemble was founded in 2001 by seven Danish women who share the same passion for the stunning dissonances, asymmetric rhythms, intricate ornamentation, the harmonies and resonant power of Bulgarian women’s choir. The Danish à cappella group has toured churches, festivals and concert halls in Scandinavia and Bulgaria. In 2010 their CD “Kopirin” was nominated to a Danish Grammy Award.

The Glas Vocal Ensemble:
Anne Eisensee (DK), 1. soprano.
Marianne Søgaard (DK), 1. soprano.
Katrina Petersen (DK/FO), 2. soprano.
Tine Refsgaard (DK), 1. alto.
Marte Schau (N), 2. alto.
Else Schantz Juutilainen (DK/FIN), 1. Contra-alto.
Maria Kynne (DK), 2. Contra-alto.