October 09, 2025
Kurbasy founders share cultural perspective at ‘Echoes of Tradition’ artist talk
Ensemble will perform ‘Songs of the Ukrainian Forest’ Oct. 9 at Recital Hall
In wartime Ukraine, ceremonial song cycles have become a powerful representation of the country’s centuries-old cultural touchstones and contemporary identity.
By Alex Fischer
As part of an artist residency at Penn State, members of Ukrainian music and visual arts ensemble Kurbasy shared their culture and perspectives during “Echoes of Tradition: Musical Dialogue at 3 Dots” on Wednesday.
The event, hosted by 3 Dots Downtown, was meant to engage attendees in a “musical discussion about the universality of folk music in cultural contexts.”
Founded in 2020 by actors and vocalists Nataliia Rybka-Parkhomenko and Mariia Oneschak, Kurbasy performs songs and stories from Ukraine’s long history of folk music and traditions.
“What we like to do is to create these musical pictures that are inspired and powered by songs,” Oneschak said through a translator. “It’s looking way back into those ancient times that really provides a lot of inspiration to us.”
Kurbasy kicked off the event with a preview performance, followed by presentations about folk music and Ukrainian art history from Ukrainian studies professor Michael Naydan and retired Penn State Altoona professor Jerry Zolten, then a Q&A session with the members of Kurbasy.
“I wanted to give a little bit of a background on the kind of music (Kurbasy was) going to be playing,” Naydan said. “Most of what they’re going to be doing is focused on those ritual songs that have come down from a thousand years ago; (through) oral tradition.”
In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine as part of an ongoing conflict between the two countries, starting what’s become the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II.
“We’re coming from (a) situation where I can only describe it with one phrase: ‘We are being murdered,’” Oneschak said. “This folk music is the witness to our history, to our ancient history, to our dreams … this is the core message that we would like to share with you [at the Recital Hall performance].”
Naydan said Kurbasy’s message is a tribute to Ukrainians’ courage.
“You have to understand the way empires work,” Naydan said. “Empires suck up all the best from the periphery of the empire, (and) that’s what Russia’s trying to do … Ukrainians have their own identity. We know who we are. And nobody in Moscow is going to tell us who we are.”
Kurbasy will perform “Songs of the Ukrainian Forest” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, in Recital Hall. Visit Kurbasy online for more info or to purchase tickets.
Rybka-Parkhomenko said through their program, they hope to bring a new culture to new audiences.
“We invite you to go and travel all across Ukraine with us to see its mountains, its seas and its people,” Rybka-Parkhomenko said through a translator. “I hope you will be able to experience what Ukraine truly is.”
Alex Fischer is a communications intern for the Center for the Performing Arts.