research project
Songlines of Ukraine is a research project dedicated to the traditional musical practices of ethnic communities in Bessarabia, a region where diverse peoples and cultures coexist.
In June 2025, the Kultura Medialna team, together with composer and folklore researcher Mariana Sadovska, embarked on the project’s first expedition (visiting Borysivka, Faraonivka, Furmanivka, Krutoyarivka, Tatarbunary, and Utkonosivka). They traveled through Moldovan, Romanian, and Romani villages in the Odesa region to document local musical practices and gather material for new audio works.
In creating this project, it was vital for us to highlight that Ukraine is home to many ethnic communities that continue their traditions today, thereby enriching Ukrainian culture. Our research focused on deep immersion and dialogue with the individuals we recorded.
The second expedition took place in July, during which we recorded the traditional music of Albanians, Bulgarians, and Gagauz people in the Odesa region — specifically in the villages of Karakurt, Stari Troyany, Krynychne, Delzhyler, Vasylivka, Tabaky, and Vynohradivka. For these communities, Songlines of Ukraine became an opportunity to share their culture, which is currently underrepresented and gradually being forgotten. Music was only one part of the expedition; residents also shared stories about traditions and rituals surrounding weddings, christenings, and sydyankas (traditional social gatherings).
The project’s outcomes were presented through musical events in Dnipro, Cologne and in 2026 in Odesa.
The project was created in cooperation with Culture Medialna in Dnipro, the German platform Freihandelszone, in partnership with the RYŚ platform.
Songlines of Ukraine is supported by the European Union under the House of Europe program.
Fotocollage: Olya Vasylets
Musiccollage: Mariana Sadovska
Recordings: Olens Misiura; Mark Medvedev; Mariana Sadovska
Thank you to all , who shared with us our music and heart: Aurika and Magdalena Paskar, Mykola Lupan, Nina Lupan, Hanna Zheliaskova, Ivan Mladinov, Panas Bakanovskyi, Natalia Kalaianova, Violetta Shyshman, Jelenetsa Doga, Oleksij Burkan, Paraska Yantcheva, Yefrosynia Kulynska, Mykola Dymov, Akulina Todorova, Sofia Doniska, Anna Niedialkova, Maryn Mihov, Jelena Velvet, Mykyta Dermenzhy, Zinaida Miltcheva, Anatoli Volkov, Yefrosznia Kulinska, Yantcheva Nina, Dmytro Rusandzhyk, Fedir Dimov, Rostzslav Hadzhyoglo, Zachar Orel, Aleksander Mitiev, Denys Ischchenko, Viktor Kumanov, Zinaida Ivanova, Nadezhda Burian, Mariia Yarhuk, Artem Tselikov, Maryna Prakhova, Olha Vasylets