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Olenka's life and world fusion sound are the results of a series of bizarre historical accidents. She was born in communist Poland and escaped with her family when she was nine. After a stint in a refugee camp in Italy her family settled in New York City. There Latinos, Irish, and Asians romped together at the Brooklyn block parties in Olenka's neighborhood. Inspired by the ethnic percussion and rhythms of these melting pot parties, Olenka combined her native Slavic vocal style and Eastern European dance meters to add to the mix. With training in audio production, Latin drumming, Flamenco rhythms, music theory, and voice, Olenka has recorded two fully-orchestrated CDs of original songs, utilizing the talents of musicians trained at the Indiana University School of Music. Olenka has a B.A. in Slavic Folklife and Material Culture with a minor in Economic Anthropology. Among her passions are visual art, world fusion cuisine, and flamenco dance. PRESS RELEASE: Olenka's Rhythms of Another Life Brings Funky World Grooves In A Pop-Friendly Sound Odd-metered rhythms, smooth grooves, and top-notch performances underscore Olenka's rich voice, global techniques, and mastery of orchestration and studio production. Multiple music arts grant-award winner Alexandra “Olenka" Gadzik emigrated from the Carpathian Mountains of Poland with her parents and sister in 1977. Growing up in multi-cultural New York City nurtured in her a love and affinity for world music. Olenka’s passion for integrating world music with state-of-the-art production is long standing. In 1989 she collaborated with Peruvian buskers, or street musicians, in New York City on her worldbeat song “Cold Faith”. It featured the Peruvian zampona (panpipe) player Ricardo Silva, orchestrated with the recently invented Chapman Stick guitar/bass. That same year “Cold Faith” appeared on the compilation of New York bands entitled Fresh Kills and it now appears on her debut CD Making Arrows. Now with Olenka's second fully orchestrated release, Rhythms of Another Life , her world fusion rhythms and spiraling Euro-fringe melodies, sing the stories of women, foreigners, and belonging in a global culture. The CD is receiving heavy airplay on radio and is now available at Olenka.com, CD Baby and iTunes. Olenka blends funky ethnic grooves and instruments with jazz-caliber musicianship, poetic lyrics, and a pop-friendly sound. Her passion for integrating world music with state-of-the-art production is long standing. In 1989 she collaborated with Peruvian buskers, or street musicians, in New York City on her worldbeat song “Cold Faith". It featured the Peruvian zampona (panpipe) player Ricardo Silva, orchestrated with the recently invented Chapman Stick guitar/bass. That same year “Cold Faith" appeared on the compilation of New York bands entitled Fresh Kills and it now appears on Olenka's debut recent release,Making Arrows. Her recent release, Rhythms of Another Life, was part of her project “World Rhythms in Original Music" for which she received a grant from the Iowa Arts Council. In applying for the grant Olenka competed with large organizations like the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra and the Des Moines Opera Company. Hers was the largest grant awarded for an individual artist project in that season. The project included a 20-venue tour and the recording of the CD Rhythms of Another Life which was co-produced by percussionist Jamey Reid with beat loops by Glaive. Songs like “Tumbleweed" and “Different Drum" combine world rhythms, in particularly odd meters like Indian seven and Finnish thirteen beat patterns, with a full production and a Western pop sensibility. The CD contains liner notes with rhythm notation and descriptions of the world rhythms used CD. Olenka's live performance ensemble Otro Mundo features guest musicians including flamenco, Latin and Gypsy jazz guitarists and ethnic percussionists. Otro Mundo combines world jazz like bossa nova and fado songs with an original repertoire and touches of flamenco dance. Her live projects also include the Slavic/Nordic women's a cappella vocal ensemble Zloti Village Chorus which sings a Slavic repertoire with Olenka's English lyrics and translations. The Zloti Village Chorus is currently the only chorus in the world singing Slavic material in English.