Friday, November 10, 2000, 7:30pm
MAYANA ART GALLERY & UKRAINIAN ART AND LITERARY CLUB
136 Second Avenue, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10003
212-260-4490
212-777-8144

The New York Bandura Ensemble presents the first concert of this year's Bandura Downtown series, a performance by bandurist Julian Kytasty, NYBE Music Director.

The program will focus on the music and lives of the blind singers (kobzari) who created and perpetuated a unique oral epic tradition. Their repertoire included not only the duma (epic song), but also quasi-religious and moralistic songs, ballads and humorous songs and dance tunes. Julian Kytasty will perform examples of all these genres, accompanying himself on a reproduction of an old-time kobzar bandura. For this performance he will be joined by one of his students, Ilya Temkin, who has begun learning the traditional kobzar style.

Julian Kytasty is one of the few bandurists today performing music from the kobzar tradition. A third generation player, he learned his first duma from his father Petro Kytasty, and other examples of kobzar repertoire from his grandfather and great uncle. Later, he learned a more traditional performance style from recordings of Heorhiy Tkachenko (1898-1993), the last living link to the old-time kobzari.

Julian Kytasty is known for his performances of both traditional and innovative bandura music. His recordings include recent CDs with his own Experimental Bandura Trio and with Alexis Kochan and the groundbreaking world music ensemble Paris to Kyiv, as well as a solo CD of music by his great uncle Hryhory Kytasty.

Bandura Downtown is a 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