Paris to Kyiv heads to Eastern Europe (04/27/03)

Paris to Kyiv heads to Eastern Europe

WINNIPEG - Since 1980 Canadian singer and culture maker, Alexis Kochan has been rediscovering and reinterpreting the ancient Ukrainian music of Eastern Europe.

In 2003 Eastern Europe will discover Alexis Kochan.

During a three-week tour in May, Ms. Kochan and her ensemble Paris to Kyiv, will retrace their musical origins back to Belgrade on May 7 at the Ring Ring Festival, followed by an evening at the Teatr Maly in Warsaw on May 9 and performances in Krakow and Wroclaw on May 13 and 15, before continuing on to Ukraine for several performances in that country, including Kyiv's May Festival on May 17 and 18.

Ms. Kochan's recent trip to Poland in late 2001 with two members of her ensemble, bandurist Julian Kytasty from New York and violist Richard Moody, revealed a deep interest and desire for her unique music. That prepared the way for this return trip with the full Paris to Kyiv ensemble. Bassist Nenad Zdjelar and string player and piper Martin Colledge are the other members of the Winnipeg-based quintet.

Paris to Kyiv has played in numerous theaters and arts centers across Canada and the United States, as well as in Berlin. Ms. Kochan has released four recordings and is also responsible for developing "Night Songs From A Neighboring Village," the much-heralded cross-cultural collaboration with American Klezmer supergroup Brave Old World. "Night Songs" will have its Canadian premiere in Winnipeg in October.

This tour has received support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Manitoba Arts Council.

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