Overtone Music Network

a common space for harmonic overtones

kiva simova
  • Female
  • Prague
  • Czech Republic
Share
Share on Twitter
Share on Facebook

Kiva simova's Connections

kiva simova's Discussions

Gurdjieff- Meetings with Remarkable Men (overtone singing in film)
3 Replies

Started this discussion. Last reply by Ayla Roble Aug 18.

 

kiva

Music

Loading…

Biography

Kiva is a Canadian overtone singer/ keyboardist (now based in Prague) with international recognition as a western pioneer, combining overtone singing with world beat/jazz/pop music. She is frequently called upon for live and recorded vocal improvisation with other artists. These include Tanya Tagaq, Lisa Walker (improvisation with whale song), The Yellow Sisters, New Millennium Orchestra, Olla Vogala Orchestra, The Ormidales, Live Ullmann, Ring Cycle Orchestra, Strange Angels, Vladiswar Nadishana, Jennifer Berezan, Wimme and for film soundtracks (i.e. Beit Sha'ar, premiere at Dubai Int'l Film Festival). She is a tenor member of the European Overtone Choir, formerly of Spektrum overtone choir and the International Choir of Prague. She also composes music for overtone choirs, directing her own, AURALIA, in Prague.

Her diversified career, starting around 1978, began with a solid basis of classical and jazz piano training. The early professional years included stints in several rock, pop and R & B bands. Later on, she performed extensively as a solo act, including a jazz circuit in Japan. As a writer, she cites influences from a wide variety of artists: Jane Siberry, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, Ferron, Sting, Yma Sumac, Claude Debussy, Bobby McFerrin, Bulgarian women’s choirs, East Indian classical, and Tuvan singers.

Ongoing attention for her innovations in harmonic overtone singing has led to some unusual performance situations. International appearances have included: guest vocalist with orchestra »Olla Vogala« in Brugge, Belgium (2002), main stage artist at KIEKU throat singing festival in Helsinki, Finland and Nordic House in Reykjavik, Iceland (’01), and only foreign female artist at the International Symposium of Throat Singing in the Republic of Tuva, Russia (1995). In May /08 she performed at the International Polyphonic Festival of Albania (in ancient ruins with her laptop). She was also world tour member with the Crash Test Dummies at the height of their fame, in support of »God Shuffled His Feet« in 1994-1995, where she demonstrated overtoning at each concert. Venues included the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London, and appearances on Saturday Night Live and David Letterman in New York City.

Her debut »The Ladder« (1998) has dreamy, metaphorically rich offerings and elements of jazz, pop, impressionism and worldbeat. Cultural influences such as Tuvan, East Indian, Celtic, Balinese and Japanese are apparent. Roughly half the tracks on »The Ladder« contain some form of this technique. Lyrically, it’s an expression of her personal, theoretical and global ponderings, full of lush imagery and wordplay.

This all comes together with hair raising harmonies and highly melodic vocals that are simultaneously sweet, powerful, innocent and exotic.;

Kiva continues to stretch musical boundaries with the release of »Pulse«. It falls into the category of 'otherworldly worldbeat'. She creates layers of textural vocals with mostly imaginary language (»vocables«), sometimes imitating instruments, combining this with rhythms from several different cultures. Latin, African, East Indian, Caribbean, and even a little Klezmer, are influences that appear in »Pulse«.

The uplifting results are unique hybrids that meld East and »new« West. From »The Ladder«, »Pulse« and beyond, all her work documents an unorthodox history of study, performance, world travel and experimentation.

Profile Information

Instruments:
keyboards, voice
Influences:
Bobby McFerrin, Issa, Lisa Gerrard, Huun-Huur-Tuu, Sheila Chandra, Yma Sumac, Tanya Tagaq, Kevin Breit, Imogen Heap, Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits, Steely Dan, Bjork, Sun Ra, Bulgarian choirs, East Indian Classical, Cuban ...
Homepage:
http://harmonicovertones.com
2nd Website:
http://kivaweb.com

Kiva simova's Blog

kiva simova

1000 overtone links

Hey! If you haven't discovered this, it's a phenomenal source, especially for the scientific minded.
'1000 overtone links'.


http://heybryan.org/~bbishop/search/AP_Calculus_BC/harmonic%20series.html

Posted on August 9, 2010 at 4:59pm — 10 Comments

kiva simova

published overtone choir compositions

As promised, some of my compositions for overtone choir are now published. The scores may be viewed, listened to, purchased and downloaded at:



http://www.sibeliusmusic.com/index.php?sm=home.search&searchterm=Kathryn+Simova&method=compbrowse



There are currently four original compositions available for overtone choir:



'The Dawning of the N… Continue

Posted on January 14, 2010 at 10:00am —

kiva simova

Contemporary overtone choir music & telematic real-time internet concert for peace (Nov 20)

As a composer of overtone choir music, I am looking for this type of choir with at least a few capable polyphonic singers who understand the numbered notation system. I have several pieces available that do not fall into the category of ethereal, new age or meditative music. There are a lot of quick paced rhythmic passages in many cases.
For some of these, even if there are no overtone singers in the choir, the overtone parts may be replicated by having the harmonics sung in regular singing voic… Continue

Posted on October 28, 2009 at 6:00pm — 1 Comment

kiva simova

New workshop series and choir

Kiva has been signed with the Prague Overtone Festival organization to teach a series of workshops throughout 2009 titled 'Vocal Freedom through Overtone Mastery'. The opening event took place on Feb 13-14 with showcase concerts and lectures. 2009 marks the first year that year-round activities will take place in the form of intensive workshop weekends. She will also be forming her own overtone choir with original compositions and experimental works. There will be approximately 14 rehearsals, wi… Continue

Posted on February 21, 2009 at 10:30am —

kiva simova

Kiva's new website

Kiva is pleased to announce that her newly designed website is now online.

Please visit :
www.kivaweb.com

Your remarks are always appreciated!

Posted on November 26, 2008 at 10:55am — 1 Comment

Latest Activity

This whole week is rehearsals for EOC and my own overtone choir Auralia, concert Sept 4. (debut!) at the Prague overtone festival.
on Sunday
kiva simova updated their profile
on Sunday
kiva simova is attending an event
EOC Fall Rehearsal at Štirín near Prague, Czech Republic
August 29, 2010 to September 5, 2010
29.8.-5.9.2010 in Štirín near Prague, Czech Republic >> Register now Participation Anyone with choir experience can participate. It is not necessary to have any overtone singing experience, although this is of course welcome. You will learn the n…
on Sunday
kiva simova added a video
'Ocean'- Yellow Sisters & guest overtone singer Kiva, Jun 22/ 09, Roxy theatre, Prague
on Saturday
kiva simova is now in contact with Deirdre Morgan
August 26
oh Kiva .... how exciting! That's the film I saw in 1990, of which I speak in my profile. So I knew overtone singing :-)) Thanks a lot for share it !! :-))
August 18
great!!!
August 15
Thanks for that one Skye. And another one I never expected- about the effects of medications on the voice. http://www.ncvs.org/e-learning/rx2.html
August 12

Comment Wall (57 comments)

You need to be a member of OMN to add comments. Sign up, it's free!

Join Overtone Music Network

At 9:37am on December 18, 2009, Akasha Project said…
Hi dear Kiva,
thanks for friendship + a very swinging Christmas.
Barnim

At 8:03pm on November 13, 2009, papajeahja said…
your music is great, powerful and i like it, very much
ligthfull regards
from papa
At 11:26pm on November 10, 2009, Luis Anibal Araya Rojas said…
Hi dear Kiva!
Thanks for the invitation to your performance which will be so near from my place, but sadly i cant assist because of my job. I really regret not to accomplish or succeed to be in the performance. But my job is a particular requirement that i must at that day to accomplish. Nevertheless i write down the date, so i will send good wishes at the time of the performance.
Nice to meet you and your work here.
Luis
At 4:43pm on November 2, 2009, Mario Molle said…
Hi Kiva!
All pitches/ keys will be probably possible on Tabla. That day I´m on work, don´t know when it´s finish, but I´ll ask Rainer from Dodo-house when you´re about to come.
Best greetings, Mario
At 3:10pm on October 30, 2009, Mirkaledo Dreeston said…
hi kiva,
thank you for the hint .. I spread the word. Don't know yet whether I'll manage to come. I'll try. See you hopefully at the Dodo.
Robert
At 2:20pm on October 30, 2009, wolfman said…


dear kiva,

thank you for your nice comment. i am glad, that you like my work. let stay in contact.

best wishes

wolfman
At 7:32pm on October 20, 2009, Daniel Pircher said…
ola Kiva I'm looking forward to meet you at the 17th and I really enjoy
your music it's beautiful.

All the best from berlin
At 6:11pm on October 20, 2009, Mario Molle said…
Hi Kiva!
Thanks for your comment. I could come to Dodo House on Nov. 17th.
I know Dodo House & Rainer a little. It would be good if we can meet before, my phone Nr. is +49 (0)151-18136887. I have some different pitches of Tabla, maybe choose two.
Wish the best, greetings Mario
At 5:03pm on October 20, 2009, Anna said…
do`nt find it at their wedside (Dodohaus)

At 12:43pm on September 22, 2009, Sarah Hopkins said…
Hi Kiva,
Lovely to hear from you ! I visited your website a year ago .....& it was great to look over your updated website yesterday. I'm looking forward to hearing more of your music soon.
Now that you're living in Prague I guess that you know Filip Rydlo ? He recently sent me a video link of a rehearsal of my choir piece 'Past Life Melodies' which includes overtone singing .... Did you happen to hear it ?
Have you written & recorded any pieces for choir which include overtone singing ? I'm looking forward to hearing much more overtone singing in many different genres now that I've joined the OMN !!
Have a great day !
Sonic Blessings, Sarah
 
 
 

Combined Search


Overtone Analyzer - Interactive Voice Visualization

Latest Activity

Gong Meditation mit Jens Zygar + Mantren Singen mit Shoshan at Neustadt a.d. Waldnaab / Bavaria / Germany
September 25, 2010 all day
New Age Radio präsentiert: Musik des Neuen Zeitalters *live* seid dabei bei diesem tollen Event, erstmals in der Oberpfalz !! und zwar am 25. September in Neustadt a.d. Waldnaab / Oberpfalz / Bayern Pfarrheim St. Georg 13:00 Trommelpower Worksho…
1 hour ago
Peter Hess is now in contact with NewAge Radio - Musicscout
1 hour ago
1 hour ago
Andrea Ferroni is now in contact with Pratyan
1 hour ago
1 hour ago
Vladiswar Nadishana added a video
2 hours ago
Vladiswar Nadishana is now in contact with Nicolas Lespinasse
3 hours ago
Lillo Minniti joined a group
This group is created in the aim of gathering all peoples the world over to share knowledge, experiences, musical creations with the Jew's harp.
4 hours ago

© 2007 - 2010   OMN | Guidelines | Donate  |

 |  Support  |  Terms of Service