OVERVIEW
A summer day in a remote Ukrainian village. Sitting upon a bench, a grandmother or babusia, weaves a tapestry of songs taught to her by those who came before her.
PRICE
Free
RUN TIME
10 minutes
SHOW TIMES
Fri 7/22 @ 4:30PM
Fri 7/22 @ 5:30PM
Sat 7/23 @ 1:45PM
Sat 7/23 @ 3:30PM
Sat 7/23 @ 5:15PM
Sat 7/23 @ 7:00PM
Fri 7/22 @ 5:30PM
Sat 7/23 @ 1:45PM
Sat 7/23 @ 3:30PM
Sat 7/23 @ 5:15PM
Sat 7/23 @ 7:00PM
DETAILS
TYPE OF SHOW
Fringe
Recommended For
All Ages
GENRE(S)
Musical/Opera, One Person Show
CONTENT WARNING
N/A
VENUE FEATURES
SYNOPSIS
In peaceful times in the more remote villages of Ukraine, one could hear the songs of grandmothers or babusi sung. These songs would arise from women shucking corn while sitting on a bench and be answered by songs sung by other women feeding their chickens in their yards. Songs learned from their mothers and grandmothers were shared in the most generous and simple of ways by sitting or standing near each other or by sitting knee to knee or across a table from each other. These songs speak of nature, of love, of loss. Nadia Tarnawsky has traveled to many villages in Ukraine as a Fulbright researcher and will share a set of these songs. The intent is to provide a moment, an image of this generous and simple song sharing. The songs emerge from a solitary woman upon a bench and disappear into the world beyond.
CONNECT
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#SongEmbroidery
Additional Info
Nadia Tarnawsky has been studying Eastern European singing techniques for over three decades. She recently returned to North America after spending 10 months in Ukraine as a recipient of a Fulbright award. During her time in Ukraine, she, in collaboration with director Yevhen Khudzyk, created a theatrical self portrait in song entitled Rozbyta. In 2002 she received a Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship which allowed her to travel to Ukraine to collect folk songs and folklore. She has taught Ukrainian village style singing in workshops for the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine, the Center for Traditional Music and Dance in New York city, Village Harmony in Vermont and Oregon, the Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble in San Francisco, and the Black Forest Fancies in New Orleans among others. In 2011 she received a Traditional Arts Fellowship from Artist Trust and an Artist Support Residency from Jack Straw Productions. She sang under the tutelage of Yevgeny Yefremov with Ensemble Hilka of New York in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster in Ukraine. A recording of this repertoire was released on the Smithsonian Folkways label. She is also a member of Apollo’s Fire, Cappella Romana and Quire Cleveland.
