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Ohio, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Ontario. Our ages and lives are diverse – some of us are university students, some are healthcare workers, some are teachers and scientists, some have careers in music, and a few of us are eagerly approaching retirement (to play more bandura, of course!). This new and diverse group has effectively and successfully execut - ed multiple concerts in cities from Chicago to Miami and Toronto. Our two wonderful conductors, Oksana Rodak (Chicago) and Oksana Zelin- ska (Toronto), keep guiding and en- couraging all of us to improve as an ensemble and to enjoy our time to- gether. In our next five years, we look forward to gaining additional mem- bers, performing in new venues, adding exciting, empowering pieces to the repertoire and strengthening our sisterhood. What are the keys to making this possible? Friendship, devotion to each other, and devotion to the beauty of the bandura. One of UNWLA’s objectives is to celebrate wom- en’s accomplishments in various aspects of life. In the sphere of culture, one endeavor that stands out and deserves applause is the creation of the Women’s Bandura Ensemble of North America (WBENA). The idea of forming the WBENA originated in 2014 with Irene Kytasty Kuzma, the ensemble’s current president. She and her daughter Alina Kytasty Kuz - ma spearheaded the project and brought it to fru- ition. The mission of the ensemble, according to Irene Kytasty Kuzma, is “to bring together talented female bandurists in order to showcase the instru- ment, maintain Ukrainian musical traditions, and foster new creative directions and artistry.” The WBENA has given women bandura instrumen- talists a wonderful opportunity to cultivate their skills and perform in a larger ensemble, opportuni- ties practically non-existent prior to the formation of the WBENA. Each of the women in the ensemble is driven by a passion for the bandura and the Ukrainian musi- cal tradition. Because of their geographic disper - sal, rehearsals take place in regional clusters, and then combined rehearsals take place several times a year. Since its formation, the ensemble has performed in Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Whippany, NJ, at the Ukrainian Museum in New York City and Wesleyan College in Connecticut, receiving outstanding re- views and many standing ovations. Although the pandemic has put a pause to further events for now, we look forward to more concerts in 2021. For more information, or to hear excerpts from WBENA concerts, visit www.banduristka.org . To con- tact the ensemble, e-mail banduristky@gmail.com . The Women’s Bandura Ensemble of North America Our Life | Наше життя 15
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