'The Folk Voice and the Bandura' with Iryna Voloshyna | Muzyka 2026

Explore Ukrainian folk singing traditions and the bandura — Ukraine's national instrument — with ethnomusicologist Iryna Voloshyna.

In this lecture, you will learn about folk traditions of Ukrainian music, namely, traditional Ukrainian folk singing, and traditional folk instruments, with a focus on the most well-known – bandura. We will go over the regional variations in the folk singing techniques and repertoire (and even try to sing in the 'open voice' technique), and explore how a folk musical instrument, kobza, became a national instrument, bandura.

Lecturer

Iryna Voloshyna

Iryna Voloshyna is a folklorist and ethnomusicologist, a founding artistic director of Indiana Slavic Choir, and a lecturer at Indiana University. She is a UNESCO-trained member of the global network of facilitators. After serving at the Award Committee for the prize for safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, she recently joined the Expert Council for Intangible Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.