Kitka & Kurbasy: Songs of the Ukrainian Forest
Schedule
Tue, 28 Oct, 2025 at 08:00 pm
UTC-07:00Location
The Freight | Berkeley, CA
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Kitka is thrilled to partner with The Freight and Center Stage to introduce Bay Area audiences to Kurbasy, direct from L'viv, Ukraine.A captivating force in Ukraine’s contemporary arts scene, Kurbasy transforms centuries-old folk songs, lullabies, and legends into mesmerizing multimedia experiences. With haunting vocal harmonies, evocative instrumentation, and dreamlike visual imagery, Kurbasy's performances bridge the ancient and the urgent, the mythical and the modern. In their latest work, Songs of the Ukrainian Forest, Kurbasy conjures time-bending soundscapes that channel deep-rooted cultural memory into affirmations of resilience, love, and resistance in the face of violence and war.
Kitka will open the evening with a spellbinding set of Ukrainian polyphonic songs, showcasing their signature blend of precision, power, and emotional depth. Kurbasy will then take the stage with a dramatic song cycle drawing from Eastern, Central, and Western Ukrainian folk traditions, including rare Lemsky dialect songs from the Polish borderlands. “We want to affirm our loud and clear freedom, our love for our country and our people,” says Kurbasy vocalist Maria Oneschak.
“We want to show our independence and strength,” adds her singing partner Natalia Rybka-Parhomenko.
The evening will culminate in a moving joint performance by Kitka and Kurbasy—Ukrainian and American voices united in solidarity, singing out for democracy, peace, and justice.
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Where is it happening?
The Freight, 2022 Addison St, Berkeley, CA 94704-1104, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
