A concert by the ensemble Ukrainian Village Voices took place in Weston, Connecticut, as part of the Sunday Soundscapes music series hosted by the Weston Library. The event was held at Emmanuel Episcopal Church and filled the venue with an appreciative audience of Ukrainian folk music enthusiasts.
This was reported by the Ukrainian Village Voices.
For over an hour, guests enjoyed deeply emotional, polyphonic performances of more than a dozen traditional songs from various regions of Ukraine—including Sumy, Poltava, Rivne, and Ivano-Frankivsk. The repertoire included seasonal, ritual, and lyrical pieces, some of which trace their roots back to pre-Christian times.
The concert was supported by the Weston Library and the Weston-Siversk Sister-City Partnership, an initiative promoting cultural exchange between American and Ukrainian communities.
Admission to the event was free, with voluntary donations collected to support future cultural initiatives. The Sunday Soundscapes series aims to introduce the local community to music from around the world, and closing the season with Ukrainian voices offered a powerful cultural finale to the summer.
Background
Ukrainian Village Voices (UVV) is a New York-based ensemble of both Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians united by a common mission—to preserve and revive the traditional polyphonic singing of Ukrainian villages.
UVV’s repertoire continues to grow, focusing on songs for seasonal celebrations, ritual pieces, and lyrical folk tunes. The group performs songs documented by ethnomusicologists from Ukraine’s oldest village residents, as well as pieces collected firsthand during field expeditions to the Sumy, Chernihiv, Poltava, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Rivne, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.
The ensemble brings together Ukrainians and Ukraine’s friends from around the world, maintaining traditional singing techniques while blending them with North American openness and contemporary presentation. This fusion creates a unique sound that captivates audiences both in the U.S. and in Ukraine.
Ukrainian Village Voices has performed across New York, other U.S. states, Canada, and Ukraine—at folk festivals, museums, theaters, libraries, churches, community halls, public parks, radio programs, and online concerts.
Notable appearances include the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., United Nations Headquarters, Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Folk Festival, Harvard Club of New York, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and the Ivan Honchar Museum in Kyiv.
Photo: westontoday.news
Author: Inna Mikhno