Maryna Krut

PRAx Presents: Maryna Krut

Steeped as a child in the traditional music of her country, virtuoso Maryna Krut plays the bandura — a Ukrainian string instrument with elements of both a lute and zither. Over time, Krut incorporated a wide range of influences into her playing, principally jazz, using the bandura both as a solo instrument and to accompany her powerful singing.

She has placed in the Eurovision Song Contest and gained a national following in Ukraine after appearances on her country’s versions of The X Factor and The Voice.​

But Krut’s journeys are not only musical. From her temporary home in the west of Ukraine, she travels to the front lines of the war to perform for soldiers. And now, on tours abroad, she brings the stories and cultures of Ukraine to the world. At PRAx, she will perform in the intimate, close-up environment of the Ray Theater to showcase the nuances of her instrument — banduras have as many as 68 strings — and the powerful, personal nature of her performance.