TICKETS are $20 General/$10 Student. Concert is one long set. End time is approximately 9:00 pm.

Our Chamber Arts Series presents, Kommuna Lux, performing the cultural and heritage music of their beloved hometown, Odesa, Ukraine. Part Klezmer, part Big Band, with Ukrainian Folk and a Balkan beat, all powered by rocket fuel. Come fall in love with Odesa, the Pearl of the Black Sea! Our Chamber Arts Series concerts made possible, in part, with support from the ArtsEverywhere Grant from the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County.

Bagrat Tsurkan - vocals

Sergei Poltorak - drums

Volodymyr Gitin - clarinet

Yaroslav Besh - trombone

Oleg Vasianovich - accordion

Sergii Zhuravel - trumpet

https://kommunalux.com/ 

https://linktr.ee/kommuna.lux 

music streaming links 

https://www.facebook.com/KOMMUNA.LUX 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZGAm6KUf1HgSAIPPSjJu9g 

https://www.instagram.com/kommuna.lux/

Volodymyr Gitin is the musical director and clarinet player for Kommuna Lux.

· 1999-2003: Entered Krivoy Rog Music High School at age 10, studying clarinet.

· 2003-2007: Krivoy Rog Region Music College. Numerous awards in national competitions.

· 2007-2011: Graduate study at Odessa State Music Academy. Numerous awards in international competitions.

· 2011-2015: Lead clarinet, soloist, conductor at Odessa State Music Academy and Odessa Philharmonic. Performed with Zaporizhzhia Philharmonic, Sevastopol Philharmonic, Moldova Symphony Orchestra.

· 2014: Numerous international awards for duet performance with Irina Serotyuk.

· 2015 - current: Clarinetist in Chornyi Symphony Orchestra and Dengi Vpered/Kommuna Lux. Conductor of Odessa municipal brass orchestra.

Oleg Vasianovich plays the accordion for Kommuna Lux.

· 1996-2002: Entered Odessa Music School #4, age 9, to study accordion. Accepted to school orchestra at age 10. Awards in numerous city, regional and national competitions such as "Ukraine's Got Talent," Harmonika, Vinok Black Sea, and others. Graduated with honors.

· 2002-2006: Collegiate studies at Dankevich School of Arts and Culture in Odesa in Accordion and Balalaika. Also worked as a choir conductor at the local German Language Center.

· 2006-2011: Graduate studies at Nezhdanova Music Academy, while also performing for the Show Centre (high end event services)

· 2009-2010: hired by Odessa Philharmonic as an artist-instrumentalist in the "Mosaic" quartet of folk instruments.

· 2011: "Mosaic" was the Grand Prize winner at Perpetuum Mobile, Finland.

· 2015: Founded Dengi Vpered, which eventually changed its name to Kommuna Lux

· 2018: Chosen as director for "Mosaic." Currently directing "Mosaic" and performing with Kommuna Lux.

Yaroslav Besh is the trombone player for Kommuna Lux. Began playing piano at age 8, but lost a finger in an accident and chose trombone instead.

· 2000-2008: Studied trombone at Berezhany music high school.

· 2008-2012: Ternopil Music College.

· 2013-2017: Graduate studies at the Odesa National Academy of Music. Employed by the Ternopil Wind Orchestra and Odesa Wind Orchestra. Competed nationally in 2010 (3rdplace) and 2012 (1st place).

· 2015-present: Trombonist for Dengi Vpered/Kommuna Lux.

· 2017-present: Performs in numerous groups and orchestras in Odessa, including the brass band of the National Guard of Ukraine, military unit 3012, Chornoy Orchestra of Odessa, the Big Band of the Dankevich School of Arts and Culture, the wind orchestra of the Odesa National Academy of Music, the "Voice of Symphonic Rock" orchestra,and others.

Bagrat Tsurkan is the lead vocalist for Kommuna Lux.

· 2002-2006: Studied at the Music high school in Balta. Extensive volunteering at cultural and entertainment events in the city.

• 2006-2010: Dankevich School of Arts and Culture in Odesa,      majoring in folk choral conducting.
• 2012-2014: Employed as event director and master of ceremonies      at the Odesa Regional Medical College. Performed and recorded with local      ensemble "Shkvarky time."

· 2014-2019: Served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, primarily as part of the Naval Forces Choir.  Participated in an Odesa city vocal competition and won 1stplace.  2020-current: Soloist of Kommunna Lux.

Sergei Poltorak plays percussion for Kommuna Lux. At age 8, self-taught performing on drums, guitar, bass guitar, and vocals.

· 2007-2014: Performed regularly at the Kozatska Mriya restaurant.

· 2008-2012: Studied Orchestral Wind and Percussion at Kherson Music College. Drum set, xylophone, vibraphone, marimba, timpani, Latin American percussion. Played in all school orchestras (symphony, brass, folk, jazz band), and various small ensembles. Studied jazz, Latin American music, classical music, folk music.

· 2012-2017:  Graduate studies at Odessa Music Academy in Orchestral wind and percussion instruments. Played in various student ensembles and orchestras. Substitute performer at the Theater of Music and Comedy and the Odessa Philharmonic National Symphony Orchestra.

· 2015-2016: Performed in Salika brass band.

· 2013-2015:  Played in tango rock group Quiero Microrchestra.

· 2016-present: Drummer for Dengi Vpered/Kommuna Lux.    Sergii Zhuravel plays the trumpet for Kommuna Lux.  Began performing in the Dankiv House of Culture brass ensemble in 2008 (age 11).

· 2016-2019: Conservatory training at Vinnytsia School of Culture and Arts.

· 2023: Bachelor's Degree in Music from Odesa National Academy of Music.

· 2023 - current:  Earning his Master's Degree at Odesa National Academy of Music. Winner of numerous trumpet awards in Ukraine and Czech Republic, also 1st place laureate at the "Talents of the World" competition, 2023. Currently employed as trumpeter for the Odesa Municipal Theater of Wind Music.

Concerts and events made possible, in part, with support from the Wells Fargo Philanthropic Services Private Trust Foundations, which include grants from the Stanley A. and Flora P. Clark Memorial Community Trust Foundation (2020-2021; 2022-2023 seasons), the John, Anna, and Martha Jane Fields Memorial Trust Foundation (2021-2022; 2022-2023 seasons), and the Florence V. Carroll Charitable Trust (2021-2022; 2022-2023; 2023-2024 seasons). Special concert event support provided by the Arts Midwest Grow, Invest, Gather (GIG) Fund grant (2022-2023 season). Activities are made possible in part by the Arts Organization Support (AOS), Indiana Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency (2023-2024 season).

Concerts and events made possible, in part, with support from The Esther and George Jaruga Charitable Foundation (2020-2023 seasons). The Student and Home Grown Series concerts made possible, in part, with support from the ArtsEverywhere Grant from the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, and the Arts Project Support Grant and the Arts Recovery Grant through the Indiana Arts Commission.