Yaryna Kvitka: musician, artist and performer from Ukraine

Today, my guest is Yaryna Kvitka, a singer, artist and performer whose upbringing in western Ukraine has created a love of tradition in both folk music and her country. She has been a prominent musician in Ukraine as part of the band Folknery, and she spent several years cycling through different countries, collecting and performing local traditional music. Four years ago, she came to Hexham for a two-week residency at the Queen’s Hall and, with the help of Chief Executive and Artistic Director Katy Taylor, she began collaborating with local musicians and actors and settled to begin a new life.Yaryna talks about life in Ukraine, how its music has been formed by its history and climate, and about her career as a musician advocating for Ukrainian culture. There are two of Yaryna’s songs in this episode – they are: Oy Letila Strila (Oh, the Arrow Flew) and Oy Khodyt Son Kolo Vikon (The Dream Passes by the Windows).You can find the music of Folknery on the usual streaming platforms and the videos from the cycling years are on YouTube. You can follow Yaryna on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.Thanks to Sarah Kemp for helping with this episode. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com