Jurij Fedynskyj

ABSTRACT

The ancient tradition of blind minstrels in Ukraine, called kobzari, had nearly disappeared and was carried into the twenty first century by a few survivors or Soviet era repressions and a handful of their followers in relative obscrity. This tradition revolves around the genres of epics and spiritual verses that capture the hardships and hopes of everyday people–which cannot be more relevant than now, in the midst of the raging war against the Russian invasion that Ukraine this very moment.

Jurij Fedynskyj is one of the enthusiasts who has been reviving the kobzari tradition over the last two decades through concerts, musical instrument building camps, and educational lecture-demonstration series in both Ukraine and abroad. In his current tour of the United States, Jurij brings the ancient music to life through his resent personal experience of kobzaring in countless bombshelters, military camps, churches, along the entire front over the last year. During the lecture, Jurij will sing and play traditional songs with the accompaniment of kobza, bandura, and torban. The kobzar repertoire was created in defense and spiritual development of Ukraine, and has never sounded, as it does now, during Ukraine’s greatest need. He will also reflect on the rebirth of the kobzar tradition offer his thoughts on what we can all do to stop the war.