Kurbasy is an avant-garde musical project of the renowned progressive Les Kurbas Theatre in Lviv, Ukraine. Founded in 2008 as an informal vocal gathering of singer-actresses, the group has performed across Europe—from the front lines of occupied Eastern Ukraine to concert halls in Western Europe and USA. The ambient approach of Kurbasy gives life to the indigenous polyphonic sounds of Ukraine’s rich traditional music heritage. Led by vocalists, Kurbasy is now experimenting with the sounds of Ukrainian instruments—traditional dulcimer, winds and percussions together with Tibetan singing bowls, violin and double bass.
Their performances trace a theatrical arc to reveal the stories held in each of the songs of their rich repertoire, a collection of which can be heard on ‘Raytse’ a title that references both paradise and the mythical egg at the origins of the universe, released in 2009. Songs from the calendar cycle, Kupala [St. John’s Day/Midsummers] and wedding ritual singing found the core of their second album—"Miracle of creation" 2018. Many of Winter cycle songs from Kurbasy’s newest release "Rozkolyada" 2021, aside from describing biblical and archaic Carpathians Christmas tales are also rich in early slavonic mythopoetic symbols and animalistic ritual images. The theatrical background of the group is a core component of Kurbasy's aesthetic. The music they perform is tied to, celebrates, and renews the rituals and the lived memories of Ukraine and her people.
