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НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ • Вересень-Жовтень 2023 33 At the open rehearsal, conductor Oksana Rodak speak - ing to the audience about the WBENA’s instruments and about the ensemble. A month later, we got together again in Indianapo - lis, where we would be performing with the Indiana Slavic Choir under the direction of Iryna Voloshyna. We spent all of Saturday at the University of Indiana polishing our concert pieces. We had the opportuni - ty to rehearse at different buildings and roam across the campus. In the evening, we held an “open re - hearsal” with the choir. Faculty, students, and com - munity members were invited to watch us rehearse. It’s always wonderful to see the curiosity and wonder in the faces of people seeing and hearing the bandu - ra for the first time. We are always happy to answer questions and share our beautiful Ukrainian culture with others. Sunday is when the true magic happened. We arrived at the Second Presbyterian Church just north of Indi - anapolis and were led through a maze of corridors and stairs to our large warm-up space. Our hosts were extremely kind and excited to have us there. A few members immediately went to play a piece during the offertory to entice church members to return for the concert. Other members went to the children’s choir rooms to provide mini-lessons about the bandura and allow them to hear, see, and touch (carefully!) our banduras. We did our final vocal warm-ups and run-throughs, and it was finally show time! Without conscious thought I plucked the many strings of the bandura, smiling as our music echoed through the ceilings of the church. Here I was, finally doing what I have worked and waited for as a full per - forming member of the WBENA. I have been playing the bandura for over 12 years, and over time my connection with the stage, music, and my culture have strengthened. I have always found comfort in music, and performing on stage has never failed to make me smile. Connecting with an audience on a profound emotional level is an ineffable, unparalleled feeling. I could see people singing along in the audience. One woman came up to me afterwards and said it had been a very long time since she had heard the sound of the bandura. The songs we sang reminded her of her childhood in Ukraine. As the russians continue to destroy our homeland, now more than ever, we must continue playing on the bandura and sharing our music with the world. Over the past year and a half, the experience of per - forming and sharing the sounds of the bandura with others has gained new value for me, and I’m sure for my fellow bandurists as well. The WBENA will con - tinue to use our voices and music to ensure that rus - sia never succeeds at silencing the Ukrainian people. We sing for those who no longer can. We play so that the world can hear the difficulties and challenges the Ukrainian people have overcome. This concert was the first of many in the WBENA’s future. I encourage all to listen to the strings of this beautiful instrument because its sound is like no other. Photo: A. Kuzma WBENA members putting the parts together (l-r): Krysti - na Lewicky, Taisa Kulik, Uliana Leshchuk, Sana Shepko.
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