Friday, February 3, 2023: Noon at University of Guelph, University Centre Courtyard.
The Ukrainian-Estonian trio plays folk music based on traditional songs with a fresh playsome attitude. Since 2006, the band members have been making people dance and breaking down walls by demonstrating the shared musical roots of 23 countries.
In the trio takes part two generations of musicians, to point out the importance of the wisdom of parents that transfers to children and back. On the stage, a father Ruslan performs together with his daughter Rute and friend Juhan as a connection of generations, traditions and friendship in the music!
Ruslan is Ukrainian trombone player who came to Estonia in 2004 to perform at a festival, met an Estonian girl, moved there and started together with Estonian folk musicians a band Svjata Vatra. Ruslan’s grandmother was a great folk singer in Ukraine and sang a lot of traditional songs to him in childhood. Ruslan sang to his daughter Rute since her birth and his mother sang to her an ukrainian romances. Rute started at 5 year’s singing together with dad on the stage. Now she is studying at Tallinn Music and Ballet School violin, singing and composition.
Juhan Suits (Juss) is called the “Estonian bagpipe king” and they play together with Ruslan in the band Svjata Vatra. Often at concerts audiences call Ruslan as Cossack and Juss as Viking 🙂 The trio have been making School concerts in 8 different countries.
Since 2014, Ruslan, Rute and Juhan have been closely involved in political and humanitarian activism to support Ukraine, both in Estonia and internationally. From February 2022, the Trochynskyi family has been personally leading some of the biggest actions in Estonia, including a public support concert for Ukraine and protest against the war (in Tallinn Freedom Square, gathering more than 30 000 protesters) and a national benefit concert that collected 720 000€ in donations for buying ambulance cars to support the efforts of Ukrainian Army Hospitals. During 2022 they played more than 40 concerts in 5 countries to support Ukraine.
Their performance has never been as expressive and moving as now, carrying a message for peace.
Ruslan Trochynskyi – vocal, trombone
Juhan Suits – Estonian bagpipes, wooden horn, whistle, vocal, jew’s harp
Rute Trochynskyi – vocal