FirstWorks Summer Beats Presents Ukraine's DakhaBrakha at Columbus Theatre

FirstWorks, a Providence-based nonprofit dedicated to connecting art with audiences, welcomes back Ukrainian indie-folk quartet DakhaBrakha for a one-night performance at the Columbus Theatre on Sunday, August 7, 2022. Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance at firstworks.org. This PVDFest summer happening is produced by FirstWorks in partnership with Providence's Department of Art, Culture + Tourism.

DakhaBrakha's performance is a sonic feast as well as a visual spectacle. The quartet weaves ancient Ukrainian folk melodies with rhythms from around the world to create a soulful and subversive musical tapestry. With theatrical costuming and powerful vocals, DakhaBrakha creates a singular, trans-national sound rooted in Ukrainian soil that they call "ethno-chaos." In concert, this musical spectrum is set against projected video backdrops telling the story of the heartache of their war-torn homeland designed to inspire "cultural and artistic liberation."

"FirstWorks is honored to host DakhaBrakha as part of our global/local curatorial focus," said Kathleen Pletcher, FirstWorks Executive Artistic Director. "Their performance at PVDFest 2019 was extraordinary and audiences are still talking about the complexity, beauty, and passion of their music. They have always considered themselves 'ambassadors of Free Ukraine' and the current conflict makes their message even more urgent and resonant."

DakhaBrakha is touring tirelessly throughout the world this year to educate audiences about and to support its war-torn homeland of Ukraine. The quartet encourages audience donations to the nonprofit Razom (which means "Together" in Ukrainian,) an organization dedicated to providing relief efforts in Ukraine. DakhaBrakha fans can support those relief efforts at Razom's donation page: https://www.razomforukraine.org//donate/.

DakhaBrakha was founded in 2004 by avant-garde theatre director Vladyslav Troitskyi in Kyiv, Ukraine and has since built a large global fanbase and earned critical acclaim worldwide. The name DakhaBrakha (ДахаБраха) translates as "give/take" in old Ukrainian. The quartet last performed in Providence in June 2019 at PVDFest, when FirstWorks paired their rousing concert with a spirited Borscht-making in Kennedy Plaza.

DakhaBrakha's upcoming performance is the second of three, free FirstWorks Summer Beats Concerts in Providence this season. FirstWorks Summer Beats concerts will give audiences of all ages a chance to experience important artists hailing from a global range of musical genres and backgrounds. Presented in partnership with Roger Williams Park Conservancy and Providence Parks Department, two additional outdoor concerts at the Roger Williams Park Bandstand offer an opportunity for all ages to experience the hip-hop stylings of hometown hero Flawless on July 24, 2022 and William Cepeda's Afro-Rican Jazz on August 14, 2022. For details on FirstWorks' summer season, visit firstworks.org.

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