Julian Petrovych Kytasty is a Ukrainian-American kobzar, bandurist, flautist, singer, and composer. He began his musical training in the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus, a tradition in which his father, uncles, and grandfather were active. In 1980, Kytasty moved to New York City to found the New York Bandura Ensemble and launched his solo career. He toured Ukraine in 1989, performing extensive concerts as a soloist and with ensembles, including at the Chervona Ruta festival. Kytasty holds a master’s degree in music (composition, theory, and voice) from Concordia University in Montreal, having previously studied military history as an undergraduate. His original compositions and arrangements are now standard repertoire for bandurists worldwide. He has collaborated with artists and ensembles internationally and recorded albums such as Black Sea Winds - The Kobzari From Ukraine (2001) and a solo bandura interpretation of John Zorn’s “Kadmut” on the third volume of the Masada 10 Years Special Edition, The Unknown Masada (2003).
