The Ukrainian bandura is a stringed instrument combining elements of the lute and harp, creating a unique, resonant sound linked to oral history and storytelling.
Historically, kobzari (wandering Ukrainian bard-musicians) performed epic songs (dumy) about historical events using the bandura. Both the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union attempted to suppress bandura music, fearing its influence on promoting Ukrainian national identity. The Soviet purge of the kobzari in the 1930s led to many bandura players and scholars of their music being executed or sent to forced labor camps in Siberia. Today, the bandura remains a symbol of Ukrainian defiance and resilience.
Post-WWII Ukrainian immigrants introduced the bandura tradition to North America, where it flourished in diaspora communities. The Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus, founded in Ukraine in 1918 and re-established in the U.S. after World War II, is one of the most prominent bandura ensembles. The Chorus performs nationwide to preserve Ukrainian culture and raise awareness about the war. In 2011, the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus held a benefit concert at the University of Pittsburgh to support Pitt’s Ukrainian Studies program.
Many generations of young bandura players in North America have been trained by members of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus, who taught at a summer bandura camp near Pittsburgh. The Kobzarska Sich Bandura Camp, located near Emlenton, Pennsylvania, introduces young Ukrainian Americans to the art of playing the bandura, ensuring that the tradition is passed down to new generations.
The Women's Bandura Ensemble of North America, established in 2015, originated from female participants of the Kobzarska Sich Bandura Camp. Christina Hlutkowsky, the ensemble’s president-elect, is an alumna of the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned her B.S. in Psychology in 2015. Currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Psychology at Penn State University, Hlutkowsky leads twenty talented women from seven cities across the United States and Canada, including Toronto, New York, and Chicago, on a three-city Rust Belt Tour with stops in Pittsburgh, PA (3/28), Cleveland, OH (3/29), and Bloomfield Hills, MI (3/30).
The Women’s Bandura Ensemble of North America will perform a FREE concert on Friday, March 28th, 2025, at 7:00 PM in support of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. The concert will take place at the Bellefield Hall Auditorium, 315 S. Bellefield Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15213.
For songs performed by the Women’s Bandura Ensemble of North America, click here.