August 16–17, 12:00The Glade
Kobzar GladePerformance by kobzars from all over Ukraine
This year, for the first time at the Bouquet Kyiv Stage festival, the Kobzar Glade will unfold — a space dedicated to a unique phenomenon of Ukrainian culture: the kobzar and lirnyk tradition, recognized by UNESCO in December 2024 as an element of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The Kobzar Glade is a space of living epic and spiritual memory — a dialogue between the past and the present. A place where word becomes song, and song becomes an ark of Ukrainian identity in the heart of Europe.
Kobzars have always been more than musicians — they are guardians of folk memory, chroniclers of history, spiritual values, and moral lessons. Their dumas, psalms, historical songs, ballads, and cantos speak of freedom, dignity, resistance, and spiritual strength.Very few epic oral and musical traditions still survive and evolve in the 21st century.
Kobzarstvo is a rare example of uninterrupted cultural continuity that has withstood wars and repressions — the voice of centuries and the spirit of resistance.
Today, kobzarstvo not only lives on, but actively responds to modern challenges. Often, behind the instruments are soldiers, volunteers, and veterans who carry their song from the front lines — both literally and metaphorically.
At the Kobzar Glade, the kobza, bandura, and lira will sound daily, performed by bearers of this ancient yet deeply contemporary tradition.“Each duma glorifies Cossack knightly deeds, every kobzar psalm tells a story of faith and spirit, and every dance melody reminds us of our ability to rejoice and find happiness no matter what,” — Oles Sanin, brother of the Kobzar Guild, lirnyk, and film director.
Participants of “Kobzar Glade”:
Mykola Tovkailo (bandura / Pereiaslav) — banduryst, archaeologist, PhD in History, Master of the Kyiv Kobzar Guild. Has been playing the folk bandura since 1979, studied under Hryhorii Tkachenko. Also a maker of kobzar musical instruments.
Zhadan Bezverbnyi (kobza-bandura / Kyiv) — veteran who returned to kobzarstvo after the front and being wounded, brother of the Kyiv Kobzar Guild, instrument craftsman.
Dmytro Radchenko (bandura / Kyiv) — banduryst, apprentice of the Kobzar Guild. Vitalii Kobzar (kobza / Irpin) — kobzar, poet, blogger, volunteer, brother of the Kyiv Kobzar Guild. Originally from Zaporizhzhia, instrument maker.
Taras Dorotskyi (bandura, lira / Lviv Kobzar-Lirnyk Guild) — ethnographer, educator. Plays a bandura passed to him from the filming of The Guide (Powodyr).
Eduard Drach (kobza-bandura / Kyiv) — war veteran, banduryst, poet, bard, rock musician, brother of the Kyiv Kobzar Guild. A neurologist and rehabilitation specialist by training. Plays kobza, guitar, violin, bass guitar, banjo, mandolin, and Slavic husli. Performer and reconstructor of traditional kobzar-lirnyk repertoire with veresai kobza, old-world bandura, and hurdy-gurdy. Began studying performance in 1988 through the research of Mykola Lysenko. Learned authentic kobza technique from kobzar and instrument master Mykola Budnyk. First in Ukrainian acoustic music to organically combine elements of ancient Ukrainian folk music with the style of modern authorial song and kobzar vocal manner. Winner of the legendary Chervona Ruta–1989 festival.
Organizers: Watch Ukrainian! Association, Kobzar Guilds of Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Lviv, supported by the cultural institution Mizhvukhamy and the MHP-Gromadi Foundation.
FREE ENTRY TO THE EVENTwith a valid admission ticket to the St. Sophia of Kyiv Museum Complex(₴400 – full price, ₴200 – discounted).Combat veterans do not need to purchase an admission ticket.