Bandura on Bloor #7
2026/27 Concert Series
DIVKA
Featuring Yarko Antonevych
Friday, December 18, 2026
7:30 PM
Heliconian Hall
35 Hazelton Ave, Toronto, ON
This performance will be followed by a post-concert reception for all the guests and performers!
Bandura on Bloor finishes the year off with an icy and spicy Winter Special featuring DIVKA and Yarko Antonevych.
DIVKA
DIVKA is bandurist (esoteric Ukrainian harp) Alina Kuzma and violist (not a violin) Zoë Santo. As a sonic rebel reckoning, DIVKA’s music is charged with mythology, traditional village singing, and generations of femme power, whimsy, and a dash of vengeance. Sharp-tongued and deeply passionate, Alina and Zoë are a sonic experience using bygone folk songs from global women’s music-making traditions. DIVKA weaves a sonic constellation of delicate arpeggios and guttural ancient invocations. Alina, a tradition-refocusing bandurist and vocal forest nymph, brings a rich waterfall of sound on the bandura. Her ethereal vocals transport listeners to a mystical realm where folklore comes alive. Zoë, a chaos-nurturing violist and raging woodland sprite, adds depth and tension to DIVKA’s sound. Their viola balances wild energy with refined technique, equally alarming and enchanting audiences with her spirited performances. Together, Alina and Zoë create a musical landscape that haunts and invigorates, blending knowledge of traditional music with contemporary oomph. Their performances are a celebration of girlhood and the enduring strength and creativity of women throughout the ages. Their debut album folk fatale released April 2nd, 2026, and you can listen to their singles everywhere music is streamed.
Yarko Antonevych
Yarko Antonevych began playing the bandura in 1968. His first teacher was Petro Kytasty. Later that same year, he performed with the Hnat Khotkevych Bandura Ensemble, directed by Walentyna Rodak, at the 50th Anniversary of the UBC, which took place at the Ford Auditorium in Detroit, MI. Yarko studied classical guitar and jazz at Palm Beach Jr. College and Florida Atlantic University. Throughout his 56 years of bandura playing (44 years professionally), Yarko has performed in concert halls & folk & music festivals in Canada & the USA, along with continuing the kobzar tradition by performing in private homes and busking on streets and subway stations. Yarko is very grateful to William Vetzal for providing him with the finest banduras.
TORONTO BANDURA FESTIVAL 