Kurbasy Up Close: Master Class in Ukrainian Folk Singing

This workshop is presented in collaboration with Razom for Ukraine as part of their Third Annual Ukrainian Cultural Festival , a month-long celebration of art, music and theater in New York City.

Join us in learning Ukrainian lyrical songs from internationally renowned musical group Kurbasy!

Kurbasy is a contemporary musical project of the renowned progressive Les Kurbas Theatre in Lviv, Ukraine. Led by actor-vocalists Mariia Oneshchak and Nataliia Rybka-Parkhomenko, Kurbasy’s performances trace a theatrical arc to reveal the stories held in the songs of their rich repertoire. The idea of culture as a cosmic living organism is central to Kurbasy, whose folk-based multimedia performances vibrate in tight vocal harmonies, resonant lyrics, distinctive instrumentation, and phantasmagoric visual imagery. Kurbasy’s sonic-theatrical explorations of Ukraine’s rich trove of calendar songs, lullabies, and legends, conjure the natural world, beliefs, and rituals, channeling contemporary connections to an archaic past.

Join us on Sunday, October 12, at 1:00 PM to experience the magic of Ukrainian polyphony!

Kurbasy was founded in 2008 as an informal vocal gathering of singer-actresses Mariia Oneshchak and Nataliia Rybka-Parkhomenko. Since 2008 the group has performed across Europe – from the front lines of occupied Eastern Ukraine to concert halls in Western Europe and in the U.S.

Maria Oneshchak (born 1984, Ivano-Frankivsk) is a Ukrainian actress and vocalist, a leading performer at the Les Kurbas Academic Theatre in Lviv since 2004. In 2025, she was named Honored Artist of Ukraine. A graduate of Ivan Franko National University with a degree in drama and postgraduate training in psychology, she co-founded the ethno-music group Kurbasy in 2009, where she serves as lead vocalist, blending traditional Ukrainian folk songs with theatrical performance. She is a certified voice and acting coach, teaching stage speech at the university and leading workshops in vocal technique and expressive movement. Founder of the Studio of Body-Voice Practices “Unique Voice,” she also trains actors and artists in vocal development and diction. Active internationally, she has participated in major festivals across Europe and the U.S. with Kurbasy and other projects. A mother of two, she balances her artistic career with deep commitment to cultural preservation and education.

Nataliia Rybka-Parkhomenko is a celebrated Ukrainian actress, singer, and cultural figure, renowned for her powerful presence on stage and her deep commitment to Ukrainian heritage. Since 2006, she has been a leading actress at the Les Kurbas Academic Theatre in Lviv. She is a founding member of the ethno-music group "Kurbasy," formed by theatre actors, with which she performs contemporary interpretations of traditional Ukrainian folk songs internationally. She also leads the Ukrainian-Crimean Tatar project "Yuşan-Zillia."

Kurbasy is joined for this workshop by Severyn Danyleiko, singer, ethnomusicologist, and multi-instrumentalist. As a performer, Danyleiko specializes in traditional Ukrainian instruments, including the fiddle, bass (cello), frame drum (bubon), and various wood flutes. His vocal and instrumental artistry combines scholarly research with living musical tradition.

Severyn is a co-founder and active member of acclaimed folk ensembles such as Chorea Kozacka, HuliayHorod, Perehook, among others. With Chorea Kozacka, he was awarded the 2023 Shevchenko National Prize, the highest cultural distinction in Ukraine.

This workshop is presented in collaboration with Razom for Ukraine.

Host or Publisher Ukrainian Village Voices