Galitcha

Since 1996 Kuljit Sodhi, Galitcha's lead singer, composer and percussionist has been building an ensemble which integrates music with a strong North Indian footprint overlaid with influences from western folk and jazz and instrumentation from around the world. From heartfelt devotional and love songs, to compelling lively dance tunes, Galitcha (meaning tapestry) takes audiences on a musical journey from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other. The songs are mainly sung in Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi with explanations in English and/or French. Vocalist Kuljit Sodhi also on East Indian dholki drum and the accordion-like harmonium; Linsey Wellman on saxophones and flutes; Shawn Mativetsky on East Indian tabla drum, dhol (barrel drum) and percussion; and Matt Smith on guitars and mandolin create a culturally diverse Canadian sound. But Galitcha's performances are not just about the music. There is an inspiring sense of devotion - to the muse, to each other, to the audience - which is consistently part of their presence on and off stage.
Based in Ottawa, Canada, they have performed in concert halls, schools and folk festivals across Canada and the US. and at:
• The National Arts Centre and National Library Auditorium and Canadian Museum of
Civilization (Ottawa)
• The Lincoln Center for Performing Arts (NYC)
• Place des Arts (Montréal)
• Festival de Rabat and International Festival de Tetouan - Morrocco 2002
• Festival au Désert – Timbouctou Mali - January 2005
• and have collaborated on stage with artists such as acoustic blues guitarist Harry Manx, violinist
Oliver Schoer, guitarist Ellen McIllwaine and accordionist Yves Lambert (founder of
La Bottine Souriante)
Galitcha has also been chosen to perform official mainstage showcases at the following industry conferences:
• NERFA (North East Regional Folk Alliance) conference in Monticello NY (2003)
• Folk Alliance Canada and Folquébec Montreal, QC (2003)
• Pacific Contact conference in Vancouver BC (2004)
• Folk Alliance Canada showcase at the NA Folk Alliance conference Montreal, QC (Feb 2005)
•Contact Ontarois conference - closing Gala in collaborative performance with
Yves Lambert and other Francophone musicians – Ottawa ON (January 2005)
• Réseau Scènes Montreal, QC (Sept 2005)
• Arts Presenters (APAP) NYC (Jan 2006 and January 2007)
• North American Folk Alliance Conference (Feb 2006) Austin Texas
• Rideau Conference Québec City (Feb 2006)
• Performing Arts Exchange (PAE) Baltimore MD (Sept 2006)
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Galitcha has received financial support from the Government of Canada through the Canada Music Fund for promotion and for attendances at NERFA, Contact Ontario, Pacific Contact, the Vancouver Island MusicFest and the Festival au Désert in Mali. Assistance was also provided by the Canadian Embassy in Mali for travel to the Festival au Désert in January 2005 and from the Department of Foreign Affairs Canada for travel to the US in August 2004.
Galitcha's premiere full-length recording entitled SATRANG, (2002), has done well on radio across Canada. Their concerts have been recorded live for CBC radio's Bandwidth and Global Village and for Radio Canada. The CD has reached 'top 10' status on world music charts on stations from Toronto to Victoria. Galitcha was awarded CIUT's (Toronto) 'Porcupine Award' for Musique du Monde CD of the year (2003). Philly Markowitz, host of CBC's Roots and Wings, chose SATRANG as a 'Pick of the Year' (2003). The group has just completed a new CD (their second full length disc) for which they have received assistance from the Ontario Arts Council and FACTOR. The recording, entitled Célébration Blé d’inde Celebration, reflects Galitcha’s progress as a group and tells the story of their travels both geographically, historically and musically.
Continuous creativity and performance excellence are the primary goals of Galitcha. With a solid base in Ottawa Canada, Galitcha is steadily working at reaching out to an ever widening audience - across Canada, in the US and internationally.

Kuljit Sodhi lead vocals, percussion

Galitcha's lead singer, composer and tabla and dholki player, Kuljit Sodhi has extensive experience playing percussion with various musical styles. Born in India, he immigrated to Montreal at a young age, where he grew up listening to East Indian, Greek, French Canadian and Latin music. He became an accomplished East Indian folk dancer, choreographer and dance teacher. As a singer of devotional songs, Kuljit’s first performances took place in the temples of his Sikh tradition. His love for the traditional East Indian folk music prompted him, in 1996, to start his own band, which evolved into what is now called Galitcha. The original tunes in the Galitcha repertoire are composed by Kuljit.