Bloor West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival Unveils Headline Performers

One of the most eagerly anticipated musical fusions will ignite the stage of the Bloor West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival on Saturday, September 14, as Ukraine’s classic rockers Kozak System team up with cult musician Taras Chubay for a performance of Ukrainian world music – modern technology and rhythms combined with Ukrainian melodies and piercing lyricism, well-seasoned with high energy.

Kozak System and Taras Chubay will headline the Festival Stage at Bloor Street West and Jane Street in a performance that kicks off at 9 p.m. on September 14. Kozak System will perform in two additional Festival events on Friday, September 13 at 9 p.m. and on Saturday, September 14 at midnight, in venues to be announced. These performances are made possible by a generous grant from Celebrate Ontario and through the sponsorship of Ukrainian Credit Union Limited.

The Celebrate Ontario grant will also allow the Festival to present some of North America’s most popular performing groups, including the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company from Edmonton, AB; the Syzokryli Ukrainian Dance Ensemble from New York, NY; the Todaschuk Sisters from Winnipeg, MB, and the St. Andrew Vodohray Dance Group from Bloomingdale, IL.

These performers will join hundreds of professional and amateur GTA performers and artists who celebrate Ukrainian culture through music, dance and visual arts.

The BWV Toronto Ukrainian Festival will take place from September 13-15. Now in its 17th year, it is a free, three-day family-focused showcase of the most widely identifiable aspects of Ukrainian culture, attracting diverse audiences of nearly 600,000 from across Canada, the US and abroad.

As always, the Festival will offer the best in Ukrainian food, beverages, music and dance. Local vendors will feature crafts, epicurean delights and fine collectibles. Visitors can explore the sidewalk sales offered by the businesses of the Bloor West Village BIA and enjoy the parade, the film festival, the midway and the educational activities for young and old. With rich history and culture on display, Festival chair Jurij Klufas says there is “lots to discover about being Ukrainian.”

For more about the Festival, please visit www.ukrainianfestival.com.

PHOTOS

1 - Kozak System and Taras Chubay

2 - Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company from Edmonton