Bandurist Chorus members converse with Yushchenkos at New York banquet (10/09/05)

Bandurist Chorus members converse with Yushchenkos at New York banquet

by Zenon Krislaty

NEW YORK - Prior to the Ukrainian community's banquet in honor of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko on Friday, September 16, at the Pierre Hotel, Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus board members Anatoli Murha and Zenon Krislaty met with the president and the first lady.

The UBC, founded in Kyiv in 1918, and serving as "ambassadors of the bandura and Ukrainian music and culture" worldwide for 87 years, presented the president with a concept and written proposal for closer reciprocal relations between musical institutions in Ukraine and North America. Specifically discussed were initiatives to invigorate national cultural consciousness through the bandura and musical arts in eastern Ukraine.

Aware that the capella visited Ukraine in 1991, 1994 and 2001, President Yushchenko seemed captivated by the idea and accepted the role of patron of such a proposal. The UBC board presented him with a large framed photo plaque signed by the entire chorus, the book "Living Strings," a historical chronicle of the bandura, and the most recent video and sound recordings by the ensemble.

The Yushchenkos and the UBC representatives agreed that such initiatives preserve our solidarity and national identity in both Ukraine and the diaspora, as well as promote pride in our language, culture and heritage of our people.

The 50-plus-member ensemble of instrumentalists and chorus is about to embark on a tour of western Canada between November 4-13 with performances scheduled in Vancouver, Vernon, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina and Winnipeg. Readers may log on to www.bandura.org for details on the chorus or its concerts.

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