Balkan music / Choral Music

Enchanting choral Croatia at the Centre des musiciens du monde

by Frédéric Cardin

I’ve been a regular at the Centre des musiciens du monde’s (CMM) Intimate Concerts series since the very first one last January. They’ve all been excellent, each time featuring top-quality artists who’ve settled in Montreal for its cultural vitality and, in the process, enriched it in an exceptional way, thanks to the traditional and refined sounds from Rwanda, Syria, Mongolia, Iran, Peru and so on. While I’m fairly familiar with all the artists featured (and to be featured) in the series so far, one exception was on stage last night: the vocal ensemble Sava, whose existence I didn’t even know about until quite recently. I was so taken with them that I had to tell you about it.

Sava is an all-female vocal quartet devoted to traditional Balkan polyphonic songs. For this concert, Sava covered some of the repertoire specifically from Croatia, with secular and religious songs. This performance, behind the altar of the Church of Saint-Enfant Jésus (in a very intimate setting), totally bowled me over. This was due not only to the surprise effect, but also to the exceptional vocal quality of the four performers, Antonia Branković, Dina Cindrić, Sara Rousseau and Sarah Albu (the latter also one of the most exciting recent voices in contemporary and avant-garde music in the city). In the perfect acoustics of the venue, the seductive rubbing of thirds, fourths and fifths of the four voices produced a soothing vibratory effect on the audience gathered, and on your humble reviewer, who was transported back in time and space, to an ancient and perfectly authentic Dalmatia.

I don’t know how often the ladies perform in concert, but they’d better go at it! And if you’re ever interested, you should know that the ensemble is a product of all kinds of music courses available at the CMM!

MUSIC SCHOOL OF THE CENTRE DES MUSICIENS DU MONDE

Latest 360 Content

Piknic Electronik | DJ Fuckoff Turns Up The Heat for Pep Rally

Piknic Electronik | DJ Fuckoff Turns Up The Heat for Pep Rally

Orford 2025 | Collectif9: folk that innovates and grooves

Orford 2025 | Collectif9: folk that innovates and grooves

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | The next global star of Tuareg blues is born, and it is in Montreal

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | The next global star of Tuareg blues is born, and it is in Montreal

Ruby Creek – Forget Me Not

Ruby Creek – Forget Me Not

Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out

Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out

Ross Lee Finney : Landscapes Remembered

Ross Lee Finney : Landscapes Remembered

Lanaudière Festival | The Sparkle of Strauss, Schumann, and Brahms in Joliette

Lanaudière Festival | The Sparkle of Strauss, Schumann, and Brahms in Joliette

Wet Leg – moisturizer

Wet Leg – moisturizer

Sister Ray – Believer

Sister Ray – Believer

Festival de Lanaudière | Franco Fagioli and the voice of bel canto

Festival de Lanaudière | Franco Fagioli and the voice of bel canto

Nuits d’Afrique | Manamba Kanté, An Undeniable Diva

Nuits d’Afrique | Manamba Kanté, An Undeniable Diva

Nuits d’Afrique | El Gato Negro, A Feline Like No Other

Nuits d’Afrique | El Gato Negro, A Feline Like No Other

Nights of Africa 2025 | A gnawa fusion reactor named Saïd Mesnaoui

Nights of Africa 2025 | A gnawa fusion reactor named Saïd Mesnaoui

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | Sousou and Maher Cissoko: benevolence and complicity

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | Sousou and Maher Cissoko: benevolence and complicity

Nuits d’Afrique | Las Karamba And Their Militant Salsa

Nuits d’Afrique | Las Karamba And Their Militant Salsa

Women shine at the Quebec City Opera Festival

Women shine at the Quebec City Opera Festival

Festival de Lanaudière | A Successful Choral Evening for Akamus

Festival de Lanaudière | A Successful Choral Evening for Akamus

Festival d’art vocal de Montréal | Training the Next Generation of Lyric Artists, From Voice to Stage Direction

Festival d’art vocal de Montréal | Training the Next Generation of Lyric Artists, From Voice to Stage Direction

Nuits d’Afrique | Soul Bang’s, The King of Improvisation

Nuits d’Afrique | Soul Bang’s, The King of Improvisation

Nuits d’Afrique | Tyrane Mondeny: The Rising Star Has Reached Her Destination

Nuits d’Afrique | Tyrane Mondeny: The Rising Star Has Reached Her Destination

Nuits d’Afrique | El Gato Negro, The Sound of Subtropical Pop

Nuits d’Afrique | El Gato Negro, The Sound of Subtropical Pop

Nuits d’Afrique | Glowzi, in Soundsystem Mode

Nuits d’Afrique | Glowzi, in Soundsystem Mode

Nuits d’Afrique | Mateus Vidal & Axé Experience, “Uma Festa” in The Rain

Nuits d’Afrique | Mateus Vidal & Axé Experience, “Uma Festa” in The Rain

Naomi – A Dark Corner to Dance In

Naomi – A Dark Corner to Dance In

Subscribe to our newsletter