When Volodymyr Gitin raises that clarinet to his lips, he becomes the only man in the room—you can’t help but utterly fall into his virtuoso arms. “Heavyweight Champion” Oleg Vasianovich holds his accordion like it’s light as a feather, while he develops the foundation of each melody. Layers of complexity are added by the bold, bright
trumpet of Andrei Okhramovich and the sassy, playful trombone of Yaroslav Besh. Viktor Kirilov never stops dancing as he plays his acoustic guitar, and you never
know when Sergei Poltorak will pause on the percussion to punk the rest of the band with a sly prank. At center stage is sultry powerhouse Bagrat Tsurkan, whose
hot buttered voice and nonstop energy compel everyone to the dance floor.

These conservatory-trained musicians started out playing flash mobs in the markets, piers, and streets of Odesa, and quickly moved up to local and national stages. After winning Germany’s “Iron Eversteiner” prize for folk music, they began touring the world, but had a falling-out with their vocalist. They soon discovered “Baggi” singing background for another band, and knew they’d found the perfect front man.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the band went into shock along with the rest of their countrymen. One musician even left to join the army. But the others soon decided that they could do more good with their instruments than guns, and began touring Europe in earnest to raise money and support for Ukraine. They raised thousands of dollars that summer, and became the “go to band” for Klezmer music in both Germany and Poland. Their first USA tour in Fall 2023 was so successful, they founded a 501-c3 nonprofit to make it even easier to support Ukraine. People don’t just listen to Kommuna Lux. They fall in love! No one can resist these playful, passionate Ukrainian musicians, who have so much fun on stage that you get caught up in their joy.