During its 100 years of existence, the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus has risen from near extinction under the Soviets in Ukraine to a flourishing and growing bandura program. This is evidenced by the chorus’s performances and outreach program as well as its camps, notably Kobzarska Sich, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
But nothing is guaranteed to continue forever. With the aim of securing the UBC’s future for the next 100 years, the chorus has launched a legacy campaign, UBC@100 Legacy, with three initiatives: Guardianship, Bandura Project and Education. The UBC@100 Committee states: “…Our artistic and administrative leadership have identified three key objectives for our future and the future of the bandura: develop new outreach and audience programming; rehabilitate and innovate the bandura in order to provide it for future musicians; and expand on new and traditional programming and musical education initiatives. In total, we endeavor to raise nearly $2.5 million by 2020 to fund these objectives, and to continue our legacy for the next 100 years and beyond.”
In the centennial concert program booklet, Anatoli Murha, president of the UBC, states: “For a full century, the UBC has been an ambassador of the bandura and of Ukrainian music, having played for audiences from Australia to Austria, from Canada to California, and from Ukraine to the United States. … In addition to concert tours and events, the UBC has helped to educate aspiring musicians since 1979 through its summer program, Kobzarska Sich. Every August, bandura students from around the world have the opportunity to study the bandura in a two-week immersive learning environment. Many of the bandura players you see today with the UBC, including myself, attended Kobzarska Sich as a student.”
The UBC’s concert tour in Ukraine on October 19-28, 2018, laid the foundation for developing international connections and building new audiences. While in Ukraine, the UBC participated in outreach projects ranging from elementary school visits to conservatory master classes, museum presentations to military hospital visits, and singing liturgical responses at St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Kyiv and St. George Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Lviv.
As a co-sponsor of the International Bandura Forum in Kyiv, the UBC was able to celebrate the bandura and the centennial of UBC with bandurists from around the world. At the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater in Kyiv, the two successors of the original Kobzar Choir from 1918 – the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus and the Kyiv Bandurist Capella – performed in a historic combined concert that punctuated the centennial celebrations. The UBC is working with these international connections to develop an apprenticeship program with bandura-makers, both in Ukraine and in North America, especially for Kharkiv-style banduras that the chorus uses and are in limited supply.
As stated in the UBC@100 Legacy brochhure: “We know that our supporters care dearly about our mission. … Every dollar you donate is put back into the operations of the UBC. Our members not only volunteer their time to sing and play, but also travel six or more hours regularly for rehearsals and performances, several times annually. Many members donate in-kind by paying their own expenses related to rehearsals or concerts, and many contribute their unique professional backgrounds to support UBC operations, from business management, to engineering, to marketing, etc. In addition, we have scores of dedicated volunteers outside of the organization who help with many aspects…”
(For additional information, readers may visit www.ubc100.com, [email protected] or call 734-658-6452 [U.S.A.] or 647-504-4896 [Canada].)
The Weekly wishes the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus a successful conclusion of its centennial concert tour and many more years as a treasure of the Ukrainian diaspora community. At the same time, we remind readers that none of this will be possible without support from the community.