BRAMA, Mar. 25, 2000, 10:00am EST

The New York Bandura Ensemble presents the third concert of its new Bandura Downtown series, a solo performance by bandurist Taras Lazurkevych from Lviv, Ukraine on his first U.S. tour.

The program will include traditional music and Mr. Lazurkevych's own compostitions. A highlight will be a set of epic dumy and other music Mr. Lazurkevych learned from his intensive study of the recordings of the great NY bandurist Zynovij Shtokalko (1920-1968).

Taras Lazurkevych is one of Ukraine's distinguished concert bandurists and bandura pedagogues. He is a laureate of Ukrainian and international bandura competitions (First International Bandura Competition in 1993), and a participant in many European music festivals. He has collaborated with bandura builder Vasyl Herasymenko in the revival of the Kharkiv style of bandura playing and its repertoire.

Currently he heads the Regional association of Bandurists at the National Music Union and serves as President of the Artistic Charitable Foundation "Kobzar." Recent recordings include the solo CD Parallels of Time.

Bandura Downtown is a new series showcasing the best of today's bandurists in intimate venues in the East Village - the crossroads of the Downtown arts scene and New York's traditional Ukrainian community. We will draw on local musicians and visiting artists to present performances in a variety of styles, from the deepest tradition to the exploratory and genre bending.

Bandura Downtown is an outgrowth of the informal series of professional solo and small ensemble performances presented by the New York Bandura Ensemble over the years. New York Bandura Ensemble programs are made possible by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency.

For more information contact:

Julian Kytasty
212 995 2640
jkytasty@erols.com

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