Iva Bittová with guitarist Vladimír Václavek

“Her powers of spontaneous creativity are more bountiful than it is fair to confer on one person. Witness and marvel.” [50 words] (Ken Hunt)

Impossible to pinpoint, Iva Bittová, a musical gem from Brno, is indubitably one of the present day’s most idiosyncratic world-renowned musicians. Since the 1980s, on account of her dreamlike voice, which she tends to accompany with a violin, she has collaborated with guitarists (Bill Frisell, Fred Frith, Marc Ribot), vocalists (Phil Minton, David Moss), clarinettists (Don Byron, David Krakauer) and numerous contemporary music bands (Bang On A Can and diverse string quartets). Despite the proximity of her homeland to Slovenia, she has appeared here only three times: with drummer Pavl Fajt at the first Druga Godba Festival, as a soloist at Jazz Fest Cerkno and with Bang On A Can at the Radikal Chic Festival at Cankarjev dom. This time, she is performing with her long-time collaborator Vladimír Václavek. (Bogdan Benigar)

“The violin accompanies me all the time. Everything around me is under its influence. There are difficult pieces to practice from which I gain discipline, confidence, and self–control – and a healthy measure of doubt. The violin is a mirror reflecting my dreams and imagination. I believe there are fundamentals to my performance, such as the music’s vibration and resonance between violin and my voice. Their ‘symphony’ leads me on to perfection, even though I know it never can be attained.” (Iva Bittová)

Vocals, violin: Iva Bittová; Vocals, guitar: Vladimír Václavek.