The Arts Station

Zeellia is the remedy for reality

Unleash the mystical power of Eastern Europe with Zeellia. This world-class six-piece band will both exalt you and haunt you with its fusion of folk music from Ukraine, the Balkan and Baltic States and the Canadian prairie.

With three vocalists, an accordionist, bass player and violinist, Zeellia - the Ukrainian word for the power of herbs to alter reality - entreat you to embrace your supernatural Slavic soul. The group’s collection of old-world songs takes you on a journey to a land steeped in farming history, while its new-world songs reminds you of Canada’s own agricultural history.

“The belief was that the ancestors lived in the fields and orchards helping them to grow,” group founder Beverly Dobrinsky explains. “The ancestors live in the songs as well, helping those who sing and hear them to grow.”

Zeellia take these traditional songs and breathe contemporary life into them, arranging the music and lyrics in ways that both respects the past and looks to the future. Whether performing a cappella or with musicians, the vocalists take centre stage with songs that are sometimes sombre and other times jovial. The music can celebrate the bounty of nature or denounce the oppression of man, but the songs all weave magic

FDAC Member tickets: $18/adult; $10/youth. Non-member tickets: $20/adult; $12/youth.

Tickets are available at the Blue Toque, Carosella's, Freshies, the Good Earth and The Arts Station.

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