The war rages on as Ukrainian citizens battle against Russian invaders, so it’s a fitting time to celebrate the music and culture of Ukraine in North Bethesda, Maryland.
The Ukrainian folk band DakhaBrakha performs at Strathmore on Saturday at 8 p.m.
“DakhaBrakha had a message long before the war broke out of ‘free Ukraine, anti-war;’ that message is even more forward now,” Strathmore President and CEO Monica Jeffries Hazangeles told WTOP. “We are helping amplify those distinctive voices and that message on stage.”
Formed nearly 20 years ago at the Kyiv Center of Contemporary Art in 2004, the acclaimed quartet’s name “DakhaBrakha” means “give/take” in the old Ukrainian language.
After experimenting in traditional Ukrainian styles, the group began to weave in other world traditions, including Indian, Arabic, African, Russian and Australian instrumentation, “creating a trans-national sound the band calls ‘ethno-chaos,'” Jeffries Hazangeles said.
Founded by avant-garde theatre director Vladyslav Troitskyi, their concerts are very theatrical, with multimedia, costumes and other visual elements. The musicians themselves “paint pictures aurally with a lot of their music and their voices,” Jeffries Hazangeles said.
At the concert, you can donate to help the situation in Ukraine, as a portion of the overall tour revenue will support charities for refugees. On Saturday specifically, all merchandise sales will go to charity: “Strathmore created and donated a custom tour poster that will be available to be autographed and purchased,” Jeffries Hazangeles said.
Tickets to the concert cost between $28 and $68.