On January 17th, 2025, Professor Iryna Kovalchuk’s introductory Ukrainian language IAP course hosted Stephan Zaets, a member of the Ukrainian Bandurist Orchestra of North America, to speak about the history of the bandura, a traditional Ukrainian stringed instrument resembling a lute. Mr. Zaets brought two banduras, one of them one of the very few ever hand-manufactured in the U.S. by emigré bandurists, for students to hold and try to play.
This was neither the first nor the last hands-on activity that Professor Kovalchuk arranged for her students. Others included a workshop in which students learned to make pavuk, traditional straw-and-thread ornaments also known as ‘Christmas spiders’, which are supposed to draw all the negative energy out of a house for a whole year; a lecture by Kateryna Alymova, who runs an international festival focused on Ukrainian music; and a chance for the students to make varenyki (filled dumplings) together. The students also ran their own fundraiser for Mriya Ukraine (mriya.eu), a Boston-based charitable organization providing medical aid and financial assistance to those displaced by the war. They sold their homemade borshch and cake at lunchtime on January 23rd in the Stata Center, and wound up selling three full gallons of soup and three whole cakes.
Zaets’ lecture was notable even among the rest of these activities because of the depth of Zaets’ knowledge and love for his instrument and its history in both Ukraine and the U.S., and also because it is rare for amateurs to be allowed to play a literally priceless instrument. The banduras made in North America cannot even be repaired anymore, as no one remains with the technical knowledge to do so. Fortunately, his bandura’s sound has not weakened with age, and every one of the students had the opportunity to attempt the first few bars of the traditional Ukrainian Bell Carol.
The deeply interdisciplinary elements of Professor Kovalchuk’s course, which also included virtual experiences, such as a nuclear reactor tour, and physical field trips to places such as the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, gave the students multiple directions for possible future study about Ukrainian culture and language, and they responded with enthusiasm—although it is yet to be determined whether any of them will decide to take up the bandura for more than a single classic refrain. Mr. Zaets says he would be glad to teach them, if any do.