Event

Stary Olsa In Concert

Join the UCF Russian club for an evening of music and dance with Stary Olsa, a medieval music band from Minsk on tour in America!

In 1999, Zmicier Sasnouski brought together a diverse group of musicians, some classically trained and some self-taught, who shared a common love of history. They set out to revive some traditional instruments of their homeland, Belarus, which had faded during World War II and the Soviet era. Soon, historians all over Europe were sending them ancient songs from archives, so they could be heard just as they sounded 500 years ago.

Like many bands, Stary Olsas roster shifted until it settled on the current line-up, which includes bagpipes, flutes, shaums, lute, rebec, tromba marina, and percussion (including wooden shoes), with front man Aleys Chumakov belting out vocals in Belarusian. Stary Olsa has recorded thirteen albums of popular European dances, rowdy Slavic drinking songs, epic tales of knights and victory, and tender ballads from knights to their ladies-in-waiting. Theyve also produced a fan-demand album of Classic Rock cover songs, after their medieval version of Metallicas One went viral. Until you've heard "Iron Man" performed on the hurdy-gurdy, your life is just not complete.

Today's hits are but "a small stop on a long musical continuum." Stary Olsa shows just how much our current musical traditions owe to their medieval roots. Come listen to living history and party like its 1199!