Julia Kytasty, Danae Blanco, Juan Carlos Formell
The concert will feature Ukrainian bandura master Julian Kytasty, Havana-based singer Danae Blanco, and Grammy-nominated Cuban guitarist Juan Carlos Formell.
Flushing Town Hall’s most in-demand series, Common Ground: Mini-Global Mashups, will continue its summer run with the Ukraine Meets Cuba concert on August 21st at 1 PM EST.
Attendees will experience a collaboration between musicians from different countries and musical backgrounds in performance together for the first time. August’s concert will feature master of the Ukrainian bandura (a Ukrainian lute/harp), Julian Kytasty, and Havana-based singer Danae Blanco. They will be accompanied by Grammy-nominated Cuban guitarist Juan Carlos Formell.
Julian Kytasty is one of the world’s premier players of the bandura (Ukrainian lute/harp) and the instrument’s leading North American exponent. A singer, multi-instrumentalist, and third-generation bandurist, Kytasty has concertized and taught instrumental and choral music throughout the Americas and Europe. Born in Detroit, Kytasty has a BFA in Theory and Composition from Concordia University in Montreal. Kytasty has been recognized for his expertise in epic songs and early bandura repertoire. From 1989 to 1990, Kytasty was one of the first North American-born bandurists to tour Ukraine, performing in over one hundred concerts. He has often returned to tour in Ukraine. In the summer of 2014, he was invited by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine’s Shevchenko Bicentennial Project to visit sites associated with Taras Shevchenko’s life and poetry. Both his formal and impromptu concert performances were filmed for an upcoming documentary, Slidamy Shevchenka (In Shevchenko’s Footsteps).
Danae Blanco provides a welcomed counterpoint to Cuba’s typically male-dominated timba music with her feisty delivery and enchanting lyrics. She has been credited with bringing salsa romantica into the 21st century. When she was younger, Blanco participated in regional choirs in the Cuban province of Sancti Spiritus. She later moved to Havana in 1985 to study music at Ignacio Cervantes College, where she became a member of the Alfredo Rodriguez Group. In 1993, Blanco joined the famous Cuban underground group 5U4, also known as “The Beatles of the Americas,” as a vocalist. She released her debut single, Pido, in 2003 and has been a mainstay in Cuban music since.
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Juan Carlos Formell is at the forefront of a new generation of musicians from Cuba who are redefining the parameters of Cuban music. A talented multi-instrumentalist, Formell has been hailed as a successor to iconic Cuban artists such as Caetano Veloso, Joao Gilberto, Jackson Browne, and Nick Drake. As a member of the Formell family, one of the most prominent musical families in Cuba, music is in his blood. Juan Carlos’ father, Juan Formell, is a bassist and the founder of the trailblazing group Los Van Van. Juan Carlos continues to carry on his family’s musical tradition masterfully.
The Mini-Global Mashups series has been curated by acclaimed trumpeter and composer Frank London of The Klezmatics, who has himself performed in Flushing Town Hall’s original, large-scale Global Mashups series.
“Audiences can look forward to enjoying amazing performers whose music is tied to their traditions but simultaneously modernized and fused with other musical elements that expand their borders,” says Frank London.
“We are so lucky to be able to put on these Mini-Global Mashups each month and give the fans a great show,” says Flushing Town Hall Executive & Artistic Director Ellen Kodadek. “I am looking forward to our audience being able to experience the phenomenal musical talents of Julian Kytasty, Danae Blanco, and Juan Carlos Formell.”
The August 21st performance will be followed by a Q+A conversation between the artists and the audience.
In-person tickets are $12 for Flushing Town Hall members and $15 for non-members. Those who are unable to attend in person can view the livestream for free at https://www.youtube.com/flushingtownhall/live. Donations are encouraged.
For the Mini-Global Mashup series’ full schedule and to purchase tickets, visit: https://www.flushingtownhall.org/mini-global-mashups or call (718) 463-7700 x222.
For the venue’s full schedule of 2022 Summer and Fall events, visit: https://www.flushingtownhall.org/events
FOR CALENDAR LISTINGS:
SUN, AUG., 21, 2022, 1 PM
Mini-Global Mashup: Ukraine Meets Cuba
In-Person Tickets: $15/$12 Members; Virtual: Free
Common Ground: Mini-Global Mashups are curated by acclaimed trumpeter and composer Frank London of The Klezmatics, bringing together two amazing, global music artists for an afternoon of music, conversation, and exploration. Post-show Q&A. This month’s mashup will feature Ukrainian bandura (Ukrainian lute/harp) master Julian Kytasty and Havana-based singer Danae Blanco, accompanied by Grammy-nominated Cuban guitarist Juan Carlos Formell.
The Mini-Global Mashup concert series is made possible thanks to funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
COVID Policy:
Although as of March 7, 2022, New York City has relaxed its COVID policies for indoor arts and entertainment events, Flushing Town Hall will maintain its prior policy for the safety of its audiences, artists, and staff. This policy will remain in effect until further notice: Flushing Town Hall requires all visitors, performers, and staff to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 with matching identification. Additionally, masks will be required at all times. For more details on Flushing Town Hall’s Covid-safety measures and vaccine requirements, please visit: https://www.flushingtownhall.org/covid-safety.
Support Global Arts with a Gift Today!
All gifts of $50 or more give you exclusive Flushing Town Hall Circle of Friends membership benefits including a Smithsonian membership, ticket discounts, and more! Donations in any amount are appreciated to support the artists and the nonprofit cultural organization as they continue to provide programming and entertainment across New York and the world.
https://www.flushingtownhall.org/circle-of-friends
Flushing Town Hall is a not for profit organization and receives major support in 2022 from the National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature; New York State Assembly Member Ron Kim; The City of New York, Mayor Eric Adams; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Commissioner Laurie Cumbo; Queens Borough President Donovan Richards; The New York City Council, Speaker Adrienne E. Adams and New York City Council Members Sandra Ung, Tiffany Caban, Shekar Krishnan, Linda Lee, Vickie Paladino, Lynn Schulman, and Jessica Won; Howard Gilman Foundation, Booth Ferris Foundation, Guru Krupa Foundation, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation.
To view current donor lists, please visit www.flushingtownhall.org/donor-listings
About Flushing Town Hall
Flushing Town Hall (FTH), a Smithsonian affiliate, presents multi-disciplinary global arts that engage and educate the global communities of Queens and New York City in order to foster mutual appreciation. As advocates of arts equity since 1979, we support local, immigrant, national, and international artists, developing partnerships and collaborations that enhance our efforts. As a member of New York City’s Cultural Institutions Group (CIG), we serve to restore, manage and program the historic 1862 landmark on behalf of the City of New York. FTH celebrates the history of Queens as the home of Jazz, by presenting the finest in Jazz performance. We are committed to arts education and hands-on learning, for the arts-curious, arts enthusiasts, and professional artists. We serve one of the most diverse communities in the world and strive to uphold the legacy of inclusiveness that has defined our community since the Flushing Remonstrance of 1657.
Flushing Town Hall is a proud member of the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG), a collective of 34 nonprofit museums, performing arts centers, historical societies, zoos, and botanical gardens across all five boroughs with a distinct private-public partnership with the City of New York and a commitment to serving all New Yorkers.
Land Acknowledgement:
Flushing Town Hall acknowledges that we are on the traditional land of the Matinecock People, one of the original tribes of New York, and the first people of Flushing, Queens. The Matinecock continue to live and work on this land to this day. Flushing Town Hall honors their elders who have stewarded this land throughout generations.
