Berlin Bandur Festival 2026

From the Ukrainian heritage repertoire to experimental jam sessions between bandura players, DJs, and world music artists from other countries, the festival introduces the sound of the bandura to a broader Berlin audience—and builds bridges to the European traditional music community.

The festival’s goal is to integrate Ukrainian culture into the European scene and to highlight the importance of supporting Ukraine during wartime.

What is the bandura?

The bandura is a traditional Ukrainian stringed instrument with a history dating back to the 16th century. For generations, it was more than just an instrument. Carried by traveling musicians, it conveyed stories and news throughout the country and endured repression as a symbol of Ukrainian identity. Today, it remains a vibrant voice of cultural resilience—from traditional repertoire to contemporary, experimental music. The bandura is part of the kobzar-lyrnyzja tradition, alongside instruments such as the kobza, the folk bandura, and the lyre.

Headliner

BanduraGirl (Anastasiya Voytyuk, UA) — bandura player, singer-songwriter, and cultural ambassador from Lviv. In 2017, she founded a hub for informal education among bandura players and a space for innovation within the tradition—the Lviv Bandur Fest. Today, she promotes the folk bandura and creates original compositions that carry the instrument’s living tradition into bold new musical territory and showcase Ukrainian culture on international stages.

Julian Kytasty (USA) is a musician who has preserved the traditions of bandura playing within the American diaspora while simultaneously pioneering entirely new ways of playing the instrument. Julian’s family was forced to flee Ukraine during the Soviet occupation and persecution, taking this tradition with them abroad—and

has kept it alive to this day.

Yaroslav Dzhus (UA)—a bandura player and trendsetter who, together with Leleka, took first place at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Ridnym.” A true game-changer in the world of the bandura, he has shown the global audience: BANDURA IS COOL.

Andriy Seletsky (UA)—a kobzar, actor, and veteran of the Ukrainian-Russian war who directly channels his firsthand frontline experience into his art and brings a centuries-old kobzar tradition to life in real time.

Margareta Storonianska (UA-DE) — a performing scholar who has uncovered an unexpected dialogue between the bandura and Baroque lute music and traces the connections between the Western European repertoire and Ukrainian tradition.

Diana Buynovska (UA) — a contemporary bandura player and doctoral candidate at the Music Academy who creates Ukrainian music in the frontline city of Dnipro. She explores new approaches to the instrument and combines the bandura with visual art, meditation, and DJing — proving that culture continues to resonate even where the war is closest

Program Highlights

The festival presents the concert “Strings Across Borders”—bringing the bandura into dialogue with related string traditions from around the world: the Irish harp (Ireland) and the guzheng (China). Together, these instruments open up a shared resonant space where heritage meets contemporary performance on one stage

The academic conference “Bandura Beyond Frontiers: Tradition, Transmission, and Cultural Diplomacy” will take place on Friday, September 11, 2026, and will bring together interdisciplinary scholars from Ukraine, Europe, the United States, and Canada—including, for the first time, researchers of Ukrainian origin

alongside international scholars in one room. Together, they will examine how the bandura has evolved, what it signifies today in cultural, political, and human terms, and what role academia can play in carrying this conversation forward across borders. The conference is open to everyone and can also be attended online.

Two panel discussions will turn complex topics into an open conversation—for both the audience of the new Ukrainian diaspora and local communities. The first will shed light on an aspect of migration that few dare to address: What happens to the bond between those who stayed and those who left as the distance between them grows? Three speakers, ninety minutes, one language—English—for an honest look at what it means to integrate, to adapt, and yet to still identify as Ukrainian while making music in a foreign country. The second brings together musicians from Ukraine and other countries who have experienced war and conflict in their homelands to share their experiences and reflections: how conflict changes an artist’s voice, why old songs suddenly sound fresh again, and how music becomes a means of survival when everything else falls apart.

Why This Festival—and Who’s Behind It

Two women are behind this European expansion of the festival: Anastasiya Voytyuk (UA), founder of the Lviv Bandur Fest, and Khrystyna Petrynka (DE), organizer of the Berlin edition. Together, they have a clear vision for the festival’s mission: to highlight the bandura as an essential part of Ukrainian identity and to present the contemporary bandura as a relevant, experimental, and vibrant instrument of modern music—not merely as a museum piece from the past.

Program Overview

September 11 — Academic Conference Program

September 12, Unity Hub Berlin — workshop, lecture, “Strings Across Borders” concert

September 13, Hotel Continental — concerts, panel discussions, DJ set featuring the bandura

Tickets: HERE