MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Wesleyan University was the site of two events focusing on the art and history of bandura. On March 29, Wesleyan’s Center for the Arts and departments of Dance, Music and Film Studies hosted a screening of the film “Music of Survival: The Story of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus” in Wesleyan’s College of Film and the Moving Image. The screening was preceded by a performance by composer, musicologist and artist Julian Kytasty and culminated in a discussion with director Orest Sushko.
This event attracted faculty and students, area residents, as well as members of the Ukrainian community. An enthusiastic reception by both Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian audience members attested to the contribution of this film to the historical legacy of the bandura and the undefeatable Ukrainian artists who founded the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus.
Poster for “Music of Survival: The Story of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus.”
The story was set within Mr. Sushko’s meticulously researched and vivid portrayal of Ukraine during World War II. The film includes rare archival footage and records discovered in private collections across the United States, Canada, Germany and Ukraine. Were it not for Mr. Sushko’s painstaking efforts these treasures would have been lost to us. (Screenings of “Music of Survival” are scheduled in cities around the United States and updated information is available at www.musicofsurvival.com.)
On April 10, Stephan Zaets, a junior at Sheehan High School in Wallingford, Conn., and junior member of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus, coordinated and presented “Night of Bandura,” a unique concert of Ukrainian bandura music in Wesleyan’s historic Memorial Chapel.
Appearing with Mr. Zaets was Alina Kytasty Kuzma, a sophomore at Clark University and a member of Korinya Ukrainian Folk Ensemble. Between musical selections, Mr. Zaets and Ms. Kuzma explained the evolution of the bandura from a simple fretted folk instrument played by blind minstrels to the modern 50-string concert bandura more familiar to diaspora audiences. Their program showcased the dynamic range and versatility of the instrument, and highlighted both its artistic and its cultural-political history.
Among the selections performed was a setting of Taras Shevchenko’s lyrical poem “Zore Moya Vechirnaya,” in which the poet laments his imprisonment and tries to overcome his sense of isolation by imagining a conversation with an evening star. Mr. Zaets also performed “Homin Stepiv” (Echo of the Steppes) – a popular instrumental elegy composed by Hryhory Kytasty that evokes the vast shimmering grasslands of Ukraine’s heartland. To show the more avant-garde potential of the bandura, Ms. Kuzma played an impressionistic piece called “Moths” written by her uncle, Julian Kytasty.
Prior to the concert, Dr. Katja Kolcio, professor in the Dance Department at Wesleyan, welcomed the audience and introduced the two performing artists – part of the new generation of artists/activists.
She noted that Mr. Zaets has been invited to join the all-male Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus as a junior member and candidate for full membership. Ms. Kuzma is working with her mother, Irene Kytasty Kuzma, and other colleagues to create the first national women’s bandura ensemble, propelling the art form forward in new directions.
Together, “Music of Survival” and “Night of Bandura” spanned the past and the present, weaving the art, history and politics of Ukraine’s national instrument. With arts as the bridge, the events reached across communities to foster a more informed dialogue about Ukraine and build its presence in general public awareness.