Oleh Sozansky – bandura

Oleh Sozansky (Lviv, Ukraine) bandurist, Honored Artist of Ukraine, teacher, artist

He learned to play bandura from Professor Vasyl Herasymenko. Plays two different types of bandura: the “Kyiv” and “Kharkiv”. Laureate of the 1st prize of international and all-Ukrainian competitions.

Creative cooperation connects the musician with world-famous chamber and symphony orchestras: Lviv Virtuosos Academic Chamber Orchestra, “Academy”, “Kyiv Camerata”, Odesa Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, Zaporizhzhia Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Orkiestra Symfonichna Filharmonii Zielonogórskej (Poland), Orkiestra Symfonichna Filharmonii Łódzkiej (Poland). Represented Ukraine at numerous international festivals, foreign tours in European and North American countries. Among the latest achievements of the musician, participation in the project “Ark Ukraine : Music” under the baton of conductor Oksana Liniv.

Since 1994, the creative collaboration of Oleh Sozansky with bandurist Taras Lazurkevych, with whom they created the duet “Bandurna rozmova”, has been ongoing. The duo successfully performed concerts in Ukraine and abroad, received the award and the title “Best Musician of the Year” (Lviv, 2002), in 2010 – the award “Lviv Glory” named after S. Liudkevych. In 2008, by the Decree of President V. Yushchenko, the musicians were awarded the title of Honored Artists of Ukraine.

Since 2000, Oleh Sozansky has been a teacher of the folk instruments department at the Lviv State Music Lyceum named after S. Krushelnytska. Alongside, since 2009, he has been holding the position of deputy director for methodical work and international perspectives. Since 2017, he has also been the director of The Wasyl Slipak Young Vocalists Competition.

Member of the jury of all-Ukrainian and international competitions, moderator and performer of numerous concerts-lectures and master classes for bandura players in Ukraine and the diaspora.

Honored Artist of Ukraine Oleh Sozansky performs Ukrainian historical dumy, arrangements of folk songs, instrumental works of classics with a new breath. The bandura player’s performances are universal: he not only sings with the bandura, but also presents his skills accompanied by an orchestra. It is an example of that creative approach, thanks to which the old becomes new, and the new gives impetus for eternity.