Chicago Jazz and Blues Festival to be featured at Kyiv Days in Ukraine (04/16/00)

Chicago Jazz and Blues Festival to be featured at Kyiv Days in Ukraine

CHICAGO - The Chicago Jazz and Blues Festival will be featured as a major new component to Kyiv Days, the largest public festival in Ukraine, which annually attracts some 50,000 spectators. Presented by the Kyiv Committee of the Chicago Sister Cities International Program, the May 24-29 festival will feature 12 jazz and blues musicians from Chicago, including renowned artists - the Orbert Davis Quintet and Lynne Jordan and the Shivers.

The musicians will play in two performances and offer master classes. The first performance will be held May 26, headlining Friday evening's festival; the second performance will take place Saturday, May 27, in the evening.

Ms. Jordan opened the 16th annual Chicago Blues Fest and has performed throughout the world. She blends the music of artists Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Janis Joplin and others into her own unique sound.

Mr. Davis, winner of the 1995 Cognac Hennessy National Jazz Search, performs under his own name and with such luminaries as Wynton Marsalis, T.S. Monk and Stevie Wonder. Aside from his many musical accomplishments, Mr. Davis is co-founder and executive director of Music Alive!, a comprehensive music program for at-risk middle school students.

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A weeklong tour in Ukraine has been organized in conjunction with the festival, which will offer participants a unique opportunity to travel and participate in meetings with the world-renowned musicians from Chicago and top representatives of Kyiv's cultural, artistic and political spheres.

The planned events include a concert at the Lesia Ukrainka Theater, the outdoor performance on Independence Square at the Kyiv Days Festival, as well as an additional concert at the Performance Hall of the Pecherska Lavra.

Top jazz radio and television hosts are promoting the events, and new restaurants-clubs that feature jazz and blues are also interested in hosting the Chicago musicians and guests.

A private reception for the musicians, attracing the top personalities of Ukraine, is planned after the first concert. The tour will also include an official visit to the office of the Kyiv Mayor's Administration, a visit to the Parliament building, a visit with the Ministry of Culture, a sail on the Dnipro River and brief visits to the principal historical and religious sights. Meals are planned at interesting restaurants and every effort will be made to allow tour participants to meet local residents.

The project is planned to provide an enjoyable "Ukrainian experience," to bring a mix of Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians into the vibrant, exciting and positive ambiance of Kyiv and its surroundings and to promote positive exchanges and feedback between the United States and Ukraine.

Based on the excellent relations of municipal cooperation established between Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley and Kyiv's Mayor Oleksander Omelchenko through the Chicago Kyiv Sister Cities Committee, this project marks another opportunity to bring about meaningful exchanges between the people of both countries. The Chicago Sister Cities International Program is under the auspices of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. The Kyiv Committee, chaired by Marta Farion, comprises volunteers appointed by Mayor Daley, who work with City of Chicago staff members to manage the exchange programs.

The committee encourages all those who are interested in joining the project to contact Ms. Farion, committee chairman, at mfarion@ameritech.net, or Katrina Fink at (312) 744-1369, or travel agent Irene Kogan of Ivory Travel at (847) 256-2108.

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