Three countries. Three music traditions. Three bands.
SLAVALACHIA
Cross-cultural exchange project for the unification of the Appalachian and Slavic folk music and traditions. The project is aimed to provide facilitated collaboration of three folk bands from Belarus, Ukraine and Appalachian region of USA. Over a period of a year, participants will learn music and traditions of each other in order to create a collaborative performance.
Belarus
Belarusian band that blends traditional Eastern European folk songs and modern arrangements. The result is a well-balanced mixture of folk, rock, and world music. Founded in 2010, the band released four albums and one EP, including the best folk album of 2014 according to media Experty.by. Vuraj were named 'Heroes of the Year' 2016 for their input in Belarusian music.
Brother Hill and the Hill Spirits
Appalachia, USA
Ohio-based folk band that blends the modern style of songwriter Brother Hill with the Appalachian, early American, and old-world folk themes of quartet "the Hill Spirits". After successfully performing in a number of folk festivals across the U.S., the collaboration is on the verge of its first release.
Ukraine
Ukrainian folk band that carefully experiments with archaic traditional music and pre-christian ritual songs. Formed in 2016, Torban Folk Band released album "Vesna" and successfully toured across Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine.
How it works
Traditional Compositions Exchange
(September - November 2019)
(September - November 2019)
Musicians send each other traditional tracks and perform them into their own traditional style.
Belarus and Ukraine Visit
(January 2020)
(January 2020)
Brett Hill, representative of Brother Hill and the Hill Spirits visits Belarus and Ukraine to jam, rehearse, perform together with new colleagues
USA visit (March 2020)
Representatives of Vuraj and Torban visit Athens, Ohio to jam, rehearse, perform together with new colleagues
Art-Residency, Performance and Tour (August 2020)
All three bands meet each other in Belarus on specific location and during art-residency program create a performance. After the Premiere they tour few Festivals.
About the performance
Musical performance with interactive and simple theatrical elements based on Slavic and Appalachian traditions and myths. Talking through the music regardless of the language, musicians from Slavic and Appalachian "worlds" will share their own traditions and teach the audience and each other. Performance includes folk collaboration, mythology interpretations, traditional rituals, fantasy elements and interactive jam session.
BOOKING
SLAVALACHIA performance is available for booking for summer 2020.
Participants are available for a solo performances as well.
Participants are available for a solo performances as well.