About the Concert
TicketsThe bandura is an instrument that is deeply associated with Ukrainian folklore. It symbolizes an ancient epic tradition that has reached us from the distant past, remaining an iconic attribute of traditional Ukrainian music. However, this is not entirely true. Contemporary musicians are breaking these stereotypes.
Julian Kytasty is a renowned bandurist from New York. He masters various playing techniques: on one hand, he performs traditional pieces on an old-style bandura, continuing the authentic kobzar tradition; on the other hand, he engages with avant-garde music and electronic experimentation, holding the Kharkiv bandura in his hands. Over the years, Julian has collaborated with musicians around the world, showcasing previously unknown manifestations and possibilities of the bandura.
Regarding his playing, Julian says: “This music is almost daily conversations with the instrument, in which the bandura tells me what it wants to play. Sometimes unexpected results emerge, arising from the unfathomable possibilities of this type of bandura. These are experiments with sound production, strokes, timbres, textures, and spontaneous organization of all this into some kind of ‘tir’ (meaning a truck) that has arms and legs and creates a composition in the process of playing.”
On November 3rd at the Jam Factory Art Center, Julian will perform a cycle of his improvisations, which he has dedicated the last 20 years of his life to. In these musical cycles, Julian employs various modes and scales, creating new sounds and musical flows on the Kharkiv bandura. He will also perform several compositions that have a strict form, in a style reminiscent of New York minimalism (Philip Glass), focusing primarily on polyrhythmic and polymetric parameters.
In the second part of the concert, Julian Kytasty will gather like-minded musicians who are equally passionate about experimentation.
Anastasiia Voitiuk is a musician, cultural manager, and ambassador of the bandura, often referred to as the “bandura rebel.” She co-created the mobile app Bandura App and initiated the contemporary bandura festival, Lviv Bandur Fest. Like Yulian Kytastyi, Anastasia works extensively with improvisation and electroacoustic music.
Ostap Manuliak is a Ukrainian composer, researcher, lecturer, and performer who works in the field of electroacoustic music and various interdisciplinary experiments. He is the organizer of the Vox Electronica festival of electroacoustic music and will join the project with synthesizers and electronics.
On November 3rd, we are in for a cross-genre performance that will combine Julian Kytasty’s new solo compositions with Anastasiia Voitiuk’s radical improvisation and Ostap Manuliak’s transformations of bandura sound and synthesizer textures. We invite you to experience these experiments at the Jam Factory Art Center!
November 3rd at 19:00 (doors open at 18:20)
124 B. Khmelnytsky St. (Auditorium Hall)
Tickets: 400 UAH and 450 UAH on the day of the event.