ZGARDA × MOVA — folk concert

ZGARDA × MOVA — folk songs and songs that became folk
Have you ever wondered where a traditional folk song ends and an authored hit begins? How an archaic melody that lived for centuries in villages can transform into a stylish funk groove or a jazz standard?
For the first time, ZGARDA and MOVA will share the same stage with a joint acoustic program. This is a musical meeting of two worlds united by a common mission — preserving the continuity of Ukrainian culture. Together, the musicians explore how the primal energy of folk transforms into the intellectual groove of Ukrainian retro pop.
The program features songs that traveled from village festivities to large concert stages, as well as compositions written so masterfully that over the decades they have become part of our folklore.

Why you should attend the concert
Musical tradition:
ZGARDA will perform authentic folk songs discovered during numerous folklore expeditions across Ukraine. MOVA will recreate classic Ukrainian pop hits that grew from the same folk roots and demonstrate how this material sounded in the arrangements of composers from the 1960s–80s.
Return to the roots of VIA:
Legendary Soviet-era vocal-instrumental ensembles widely used folk instruments — banduras, violins, sopilkas. Through collaboration with ZGARDA, retro hits from MOVA’s repertoire will sound even closer to their original roots.
The phenomenon of “authorial folk”:
We will highlight songs that many people mistake for traditional folk — “Annychka”, “Vivtsi Moi, Vivtsi”, “Zelen Klen”. Works by Ivasyuk, Poklad, Rybchynskyi and other composers feel so authentic that they are often perceived as anonymous folk songs.

The combination of instruments and musical experience of both bands reveals the beauty of these songs in a new way and emphasizes the unbroken connection between generations.
From “Doshchechka” to “Vodohrai” — take this musical journey with us.

Acoustic program. Live sound. New energy.

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About the artists
ZGARDA is a Kyiv-based folk band that has been working with authentic Ukrainian songs since 2018, reimagining them in a modern live sound. The band blends contemporary acoustic style with traditional motifs, playfully calling their genre “groove folk.”
All music is performed on live instruments: bandura, ethnic wind instruments, violin, double bass, percussion, and live vocals.
In January 2025, the band released their debut album “Zgarda.”
ZGARDA lineup:
Yuliia Vitraniuk — vocals
Ihor Didenchuk — double bass, sopilkas, vocals
Vlad Vakoliuk — bandura
Yurii Ivaniuk — violin
Andrii Yuskevych — percussion

Frontwoman Yuliia Vitraniuk is also known for performing in the contemporary operas Chornobyldorf and GAIA-24 by Opera Aperta, and as a member of the bands Authentix and The Doox.
Vlad Vakoliuk is a soloist of the NAONI Orchestra; Ihor Didenchuk is a multi-instrumentalist and Eurovision performer with Go_A and Kalush; Andrii Yuskevych is also a member of MOVA and many other projects; Yurii Ivaniuk is a soloist of the National Chamber Ensemble “Kyiv Soloists.”

MOVA explores and performs songs from the golden era of Ukrainian pop music of the 1960s–80s. The band recreates some pieces as faithfully as possible to the originals (“Kazka”, “Mozhe Ya Tebe Vyhadav”), while presenting others in bold new arrangements (for example, “Chervona Ruta” in acid jazz style in 5/8, or “Kyieve Miy” in rhythm & blues).
The name MOVA is an acronym formed from the names of the band’s founders.

On stage:
Olha Stetsenko — vocals, melodica
Sofiia Moisei
Marian Karpinskyi — bass guitar
Ivan Korop — guitar
Andrii Yuskevych — percussion