2011 marks the 25th Anniversary of the Chornobyl Disaster that irrevocably
ransformed the ecological and social dimensions of life in the Ukrainian and
Belarusian regions now known as the "Chornobyl Zone."
Since 1986, the traditional communities
of the Chornobyl zone have been largely dispersed and destroyed, and today,
very
few people remain in the region. Yet, a trace of the human spirit that used
to populate
this region remains, in the form of archival field recordings that document
the
ritual and quotidian aspects of daily life before the disaster.
In the 1970s, ethnomusicologist and song collector YevhenYefremov
conducted numerous field expeditions into the Chornobyl region. The foremost
Ukrainian expert
on polyphonic singing styles of Central and Northern Ukraine, Dr. Yefremov
will lead New
York-based ensemble Hilka in reinterpreting traditional songs from the
Chornobyl
Region; the ensemble features some of New York City's leading East European
folksingers.
A pedagogue and a writer, Dr. Yefremov is also the founder of the important
Ukrainian
revival choir Drevo (Tree).
Maria Sonevytsky, Center for Traditional Music and Dance, and Yara Arts
Group cordially invite you to the New York premiere of the Chornobyl Songs
Project, at The
Ukrainian
Museum (222 E6th Street, NYC) on Friday, December 2nd, at 7:00PM. Curated
by Dr. Yefremov and
Ukrainian-American ethnomusicologist and singer Maria Sonevytsky, Ensemble
Hilka's performance
will be accompanied by projected archival footage and photographs
coordinated by
director Virlana Tkacz and Yara Arts Group.
To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
