Event details - Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung - Preußischer Kulturbesitz

Bandura Beyond Frontiers brings together international researchers, musicians and cultural mediators in Berlin to take a fresh look at the bandura and its diverse history. The focus is on historical roots and musical developments, as well as issues of decolonisation, cultural diplomacy and the role of music in times of war and migration.

The conference will be held in English.

Step into the vibrant world of the bandura at the upcoming international conference “Bandura Beyond Frontiers: Tradition, Transmission, and Cultural Diplomacy”, held as a cornerstone of the inaugural Berlin Bandur Fest (11–13 September). This dynamic event brings together researchers, performers and cultural thinkers from around the world to rethink the instrument’s role today – moving far beyond traditional boundaries to explore everything from the historical roots of the kobzar and the evolution of chromatic and diatonic instruments to decolonisation, cultural diplomacy and the power of music in times of war and migration.

The 2026 edition is proudly brought to life by a powerful academic collaboration, featuring the Berlin Bandur Fest, Unbeaten Path, Humboldt University of Berlin, the Ukrainian Free University Munich, the M. T. Rylsky Institute of Art Studies, Folklore and Ethnology (National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine), and the Estonian Literary Museum, alongside institutional partners including Europa-Universität Viadrina, the State Institute for Music Research (SIM), Lviv National Music Academy, and Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University.

Join us in person in Berlin at Unity Hub Berlin (Jägerstraße 54) or take part online in this hybrid event shaping the future of Ukrainian musical heritage in Europe. The Zoom link will be shared closer to the event.

Organised by:

• Berlin Bandur Fest;
• Unbeaten Path;
• Humboldt University of Berlin, Institute of Musicology, Berlin;
• Ukrainian Free University Munich;
• Estonian Literary Museum, Tartu;
• M. T. Rylsky Institute of Art Studies, Folklore and Ethnology (National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine), Kyiv.

In cooperation with:

• Viadrina European University
• State Institute for Music Research (SIM)
• Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University
• LNMA named after M. V. Lysenko, Department of Folk Instruments

Organising Team:
Dr Iryna Voloshyna, Dr Inna Lisniak, Dr Margareta Storonianska, Khrystyna Petrynka, Anastasiya Voytyuk

Venue:
Unity Hub Berlin, Jägerstraße 54, 10117 Berlin, Germany
The Zoom link will be shared closer to the event.

Further links

• Bandurfest Berlin