Bandura Magazine celebrates 20 years (01/13/02)

Bandura Magazine celebrates 20 years

CARMICHAEL, Calif. - Bandura Magazine is a unique publication that appeared on the Ukrainian publishing scene 20 years ago with the aim of presenting articles on the history and development of the art of bandura playing.

Mykola Czorny faithfully had served as the magazine's editor-in-chief, promoter, financial supporter and telephone solicitor until his death in 1999. At the request of the family of the deceased, Olha Herasymenko accepted the post of editor-in-chief. In previous years, she had actively helped with the typesetting, editing and printing of the magazine.

Thanks to Lida Czorny-Matiaszek and other volunteers, the magazine is becoming ever more bilingual. Dr. Andrij Hornjatkevyc is invaluable as the Ukrainian-language editor. The materials come from all parts of the world. The format has been changed to a semi-annual publication with twice the original number of pages.

Each issue contains such sections as: "History of the Bandura," "Bandura in the Diaspora," "Bandura in Ukraine," "New Bandura Recordings" and "Music for the Bandura."

Issue No. 69-70 was devoted to the memory of Mr. Czorny. In this issue there was also a tribute written by Yuriy Borovyk, the producer of "Kobzarsky Maydan," a Kyiv radio program devoted to bandura music and its performers. Other articles in this issue covered the activities of kobzar Terenity Parkhomenko and his daughter Evdokiya, as well as the contemporary bandurists Orest Baran, Ms. Herasymenko and Roman Hrynkiv. There was an announcement of an upcoming competition for bandura compositions sponsored by the Canadian Bandura Foundation.

A series of installments about kobza and lira players, and "psalm" singers by Bohdan Zheplynsky appeared in the history section of recent issues. There were articles about the recordings of Zinoviy Shtokalko by Dr. Hornjatkevyc and Vasyl Yemets by Roman Sawycky. The latest issues also began a series of biographical sketches of the members of the editorial staff: Stephanie Czorny-Dosinchuk, Mr. Zheplynsky and Volodymyr Yesypok, president of the Bandurists League in Ukraine.

The diaspora section reported on bandurists in Argentina, Brazil, Kuban, the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus based in Detroit, summer camps for bandurists in the United States and Canada, bandura schools in Cleveland, New York, Chicago and Toronto, and the Bandura 2000 Festival in Canada.

"The Bandura in Ukraine" section contained materials about bandura schools in Stritivka, Ternopil, Lutsk, Chernihiv, Lviv, Kyiv and Mykolayiv (on the Dnipro) as well as festivals in Dubno, Kyiv and elsewhere. There were reviews of Shtokalko's "A Kobzar Handbook," a brief history of the kobzar phenomenon by Mr. Zheplynsky, a collection of pieces for bandura by Halyna Menkush and others.

The "New Bandura Music" section carried reviews of recordings by various artists, including Al di Meola with Roman Hrynkiv, who released "Winter Nights."

In the "Music for the Bandura" section there were scores of Ukrainian Christmas carols, the first bandura adaptation by Myroslav Skoryk's "Album Leaf," "Hopak" by Petro Hocharenko and "Duma about Chornobyl" by Halyna Toporovska.

There were advertisements of the "Trembita" bandura factory in Lviv, bandura competitions for composers and performers, and other unique-materials.

A year's subscription to Bandura Magazine costs $25; the administration address is: The New York School of Bandura, 84-82 164th St., Jamaica, NY 11432-1735.

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