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Mila Vocal Ensemble
Three appearances on A Prairie Home Companion
Now booking for Winter 2009 (click to hire Mila)
Click for a sound sample.

"Mila sings chords that Lutherans do not have in them. You would have had to stay out of church for a long time to be able to learn this music." – Garrison Keillor

A FOND FAREWELL AND THANK YOU TO RETIRED SINGERS!

In December 2008, several of Mila’s singers retired after years (decades, even!) of creating astonishing music together.
The current singers of Mila thank Carol Bauer, Alana Deranek, Anne Lies, MiaLisa McFarland, Jana Stow, and Sanja Veriga for being the Mila that we all know and love, and for entrusting its future to our voices. You can hear many of these singers on Mila’s CD recordings. We wish these retired Milanas all the best in their future endeavors.

AUDITIONING FEMALE TENORS:

Know any women with one of those miraculous ranges down to C below middle C? We’d love to hear from female tenors! Experience the joy of Eastern European traditional music with a fantastic group of women! Call 651.894.4032 for details.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Mila is currently in creative retreat training in new singers. Check back for winter performance dates soon!

SUPPORT MILA!: Mila Vocal Ensemble is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. This means your generous donations to Mila are tax-deductible!

ATTENTION SINGERS: Mila is always looking for women with outstanding voices who love what we do. If you are interested in auditioning for Mila, please e-mail us to schedule a time. High and low voices are especially desirable, foreign language experience helpful.

JOIN THE BABA POSSE!: Do you love Mila? Join the Mila "Baba Posse" and volunteer your time and expertise to help us grow. Volunteers are needed for a wide range of assignments. Check our volunteer page for current opportunities.

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST!   > Click Here

About Mila

Mila is a professional women's vocal ensemble committed to the authentic reproduction of vocal traditions from over 30 countries in over a dozen distinct vocal styles. While grounded in the harmonic traditions of Eastern Europe, Mila's repertoire also includes music from Central and Western Europe, Asia and the Americas. Mila has performed to international acclaim, always pushing the boundaries of rhythm, harmony and styling.

Mila's nine singers all hail from unique musical backgrounds and have studied with renowned vocalists from Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Macedonia, Serbia, Spain and Ukraine. Mila owes its accuracy and authenticity to passionate research and rigorous training with native speakers and performers—including two of its current members. Between them, the singers of Mila speak nearly a dozen languages. This versatile ensemble typically performs a cappella but its well-rounded repertoire also makes collaboration with instrumentalists a natural fit. Mila performs at parties, corporate and private events, schools, festivals and churches and also leads vocal and cultural workshops.

The name "Mila" has beautiful connotations—including "dear one," "love" and "celebration"—in many of the languages represented by its repertoire; it is also a common women's name in many Eastern European countries. Through the integrity of its music, Mila celebrates the beauty of the world's cultures.

Mila is: Jen Blecha, Laura Lentz, Kerri Meyer, Abby Morrisette, Bernadette Murphy, Marie Rule, Aurore Sibley, Phala Tracy, Lynndelle Wiebenga.

Please be sure to visit our buy CDs page to hear sound clips.

Mila logo by Jim Dryden.

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