Slavic Languages and Literatures: Bereza/Beryoze with Zozulka Trio

Many old songs brim with ecological awareness. Old songs from the territory of modern Ukraine tell stories about plants like the birch tree–bereza in Ukrainian, beryoze in Yiddish–that bend, break, and heal, becoming metaphors for human fragility and tenacity. Birds mark the turning of seasons and shifts in our internal weather as well. Since 2011, Zozulka–a trio named after the Ukrainian word for cuckoo bird–has interpreted songs from a wide range of Ukrainian village traditions. With BEREZA / BERYOZE, the trio branches into a new cycle of songs that speak directly to ecological themes. In this project, Zozulka reaches into Yiddish song repertoires from Ukraine, matching and contrasting the Jewish and Ukrainian song traditions that coexisted and drew upon grounded ecological knowledge. This song cycle reimagines old songs by rooting them in new sonic and cultural landscapes. Through expansive and bold arrangements, the works in BEREZA / BERYOZE illuminate how folk wisdom can deepen our awareness of the interdependence between human and more-than-human worlds. In an era marked by global climate change and devastating acts of ecocide in war-torn Ukraine and beyond, BEREZA / BERYOZE celebrates variegated and interlinked song traditions and the cathartic, regenerative power of singing old songs in the present.