EMLENTON, Pa. — In 1979, on the picturesque banks of the Allegheny River, bandura players from all over North America gathered for the first Kobzarska Sich bandura camp (KS). This year, we celebrate the camp’s 40th anniversary. Sixty teenage and adult musicians from all over the world gathered on August 4-18 in Emlenton, Pa., for two weeks of bandura playing and Ukrainian choral singing.
The 40th anniversary camp featured two core programs: the flagship two-week Bandura Course, and the one-week Choral Workshop. The camp was led by two music directors: Oleh Mahlay, artistic director of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus of North America, and Julian Kytasty, artistic director of the Canadian Bandurist Capella. Nadia Tarnawsky, who has taught and studied Ukrainian folk singing for decades, including as a Fulbright Scholar, led the Choral Workshop.