And, if you're out west, don't miss an opportunity to see the Tamburitzans (05/02/04)

A Ukrainian Summer: where to go, what to do...

And, if you're out west, don't miss an opportunity to see the Tamburitzans

PITTSBURGH - The Duquesne University Tamburitzans' 67th season draws to a close during the month of May as the ensemble embarks on a 21-day tour of western states to perform its production of music, songs and dances of Eastern Europe and neighboring cultures.

Emblazoned with Duquesne University's familiar Gothic "D" logo, the Tamburitzans bus heads to San Antonio, Texas, for the first of 14 shows on the tour. In California, Laguna Hills (two shows), Cal-State University, Fontana and Mountain View (near San Francisco) are the next stops, followed by shows in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada. After a return trip to California for shows in Garden Grove and Oceanside, the group ends its Nevada stand with two shows in Sun City Summerlin. Finally, traveling to California's far south, the Tammies perform in El Cajon, then trek northeast to Colorado for its season finale performance at the Chautauqua Center in Boulder before returning to Pittsburgh.

Showcasing the dances, songs, and music of Eastern Europe and neighboring cultures for 67 years. the Tamburitzans is a group of 36 talented young artists who perform dazzling dances, intriguing instrumentals and sentimental songs in hundreds of colorful native costumes representative of the many beautiful folk traditions on which the ensemble's fast-paced show is based.

The world-renowned group comprises full-time students who attend Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa., in addition to their duties as members of the ensemble, which travels from coast to coast and border to border, giving an average of 80 performances each season.

The Tamburitzans' two-hour show begins in Croatia, as the entire ensemble plays its instrumental namesake - the tamburitza - in a full orchestral presentation; a dynamic warrior's scene from Armenia ends the cultural journey with mystical, pounding rhythms. Fascinating stops on the rest of the two-part stage tour include Vojvodina, Serbia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Russia, Slovakia, Greece, Slovenia, Poland, Macedonia and Ukraine.

Two shows on the Tamburitzans' tour are sponsored by the ensemble. Tickets to the 8 p.m. Mountain View, Calif., performance on Tuesday, May 18, may be obtained by calling the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts Box Office at (650) 903-6000. All seats are reserved; tickets are $19 for adults and $13 for children (there is an additional $1.50 facility user fee per ticket purchased for performances at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts).

The Tamburitzans' Las Vegas show will be presented at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 20, at the Judy Bayley Theater, located on the campus of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. All seating is reserved at $22.50, which includes a 50-cent facilities fee. Seniors receive a $2 discount. Patrons can park free after 7 p.m. For tickets to the UNLV show, call the box office at (702) 895-2787, extension "0," or go to www.UNLVTickets.com.

For further information, call the Tamburitzans at (412) 396-5185, or visit www.tamburitzans.duq.edu.

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