By Mary Richardson

The Ukrainian group YAGÓDY will present an ethnodrama performance designed to be a testament to the country of Ukraine and the spirit of its people for the McNeese Banners Series in the F.G. Bulber Auditorium at 7 p.m. April 24.

“We snagged them the night before they will perform at Festival International in Lafayette,” said Banners Director Brook Hanemann. “This is their first tour in the United States, and I’m sure you will never forget this performance.”

YAGÓDY consists of women who have created a unique sound featuring what they describe as “immersive ethno-drama” with primal percussion and hypnotic vocal harmonies. They revive and reinterpret folk songs, while dressed in the traditional clothing and ornately embroidered costumes of Ukraine. They describe their performance as “the songs of wild tribes. This is the voice of your ancestors. This is live energy. It is a dance with voices. This is how our nature smells. This is how our blood sounds.”

The group debuted a self-titled album, YAGÓDY, in 2020, which introduced the world to their unique, powerful renditions of Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Serbian folk songs. In 2024, the group won over audiences at the Eurovision Song Contest with their original song “Tsunamia,” and placed fifth at the national selection finals.

The group was founded in 2016 by actress and vocalist Zoriana Dybovska. Dybovska left her home in Donetsk in 2015 because of a Russian military invasion. She moved to Lviv, where she gathered a group of musicians and fellow educators to create a project to “breathe new life into ancient Ukrainian sounds.” The musicians are Dybovska — vocals, percussion instruments; Vasylyna Voloshyn — vocals; Tetiana Voitiv — vocals, Tibetan bowl, percussion instruments, and drymba; Nadiia Parashchuk — vocals, accordion, Vadym Voitovych — bass guitar, Teimyraz Gogitidze — drums, Vasyl Parashchuk — cymbals.

The lineup of musicians who play in Lake Charles might change. Hanemann said, “Ukrainian artists live with the reality that they may be called home at a moment’s notice. However, despite the unpredictability, what remains constant is the depth, spirit, and power of their performance. Every note feels like a heartbeat of preservation, and it’s an extraordinary thing to witness.”

a TICKETS: $20 each. Included in all Banners memberships and sold at the door. Advance tickets are available at www.banners.org. All events are free to McNeese and SOWELA Technical Community College students and children 12 and younger.

Free full-season memberships — with tickets to all events in the series — will also be given to first responders, educators, active and retired military and seniors 80 years and older. Sign up for the free memberships at the door or contact the Banners Series office at 337-475-5997 or email rpartin2@mcneese.edu.