By Mindy Giles

Holiness that is earthy, exotic. This is the vocal power of the women of Kitka, a mesmerizing eight-voice choral ensemble. With their new album Wintersongs, Kitka taps into something primal and dramatic. Ancient Latvian ritual songs, 19th-century carols from Moravia, Bulgarian hymns sung in Old Church Slavonic, and Romanian folk songs are voiced in dynamic tension and release--rising from delicate stillness to riveting chordal explosions of the human voice. Some of the music is from a pre-Christian tradition and not what Western ears are used to. Thus, it’s even more essential to listen.

See Kitka live at 4 p.m. on Sunday at Trinity Cathedral, located at 2620 Capitol Avenue. Admission is $16, or $12 for students and seniors. In December, when the holiday commercial sturm und drang attacks weary consumers from every store speaker, Kitka is a brilliant answer to the blather. A performance in the pin-drop acoustics of Trinity Cathedral could be the holiday event of the year. Call (916) 446-2513 for more information.