Thanks to the generous sponsorships of Vaschak-Kirila Funeral Home, the Ethnic Heritage Society and others, Simply Slavic was able to inaugurate a new program this year offering Mahoning Valley students the opportunity to learn about our Slavic culture through music.

On Tuesday, May 29, two members of the band Harmonia traveled to the Youngstown area and presented programs at different locations in an elementary school, middle school and high school.

Harmonia of course, will be performing at the 2012 Simply Slavic Heritage Festival in Downtown Youngstown on Saturday, June 16th, thanks to Wasko Funeral Home.

Harmonia is unique in that it presents the traditional folk music of Eastern Europe, ranging from the Danube to the Carpathians and beyond. Its repertoire reflects the cultures of this region: Slovak, Rusyn, Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Russian, Romanian, Hungarian and more. Performing on authentic folk instruments, the music is drawn from both the urban and rural traditions of Central and Eastern Europe.

Musicians Walt Mahovlich and Alexander Fedoriouk shared this range of talent with the students by discussing Slavic European geography, music, instruments, and culture at an age-appropriate level. They also demonstrated various styles and types of music. The program was a hit in each location as the children were fascinated with the unique instruments and amazing musical sounds which most had never heard.

Take a moment to look at the photos and videos as well as the Youngstown Vindicator newspaper coverage.