Mykhailo Khai

(1946‒2022)

A lirnyk, bandurist, art historian, and professor, Mykhailo Khai studied instrumental music. He founded the city group Nadobryden (roughly translates to “Have a Nice Day”), which played traditional dance music without embellishment. 

Lirnyk, kobzar, and famous director Oles Sanin said, “In Ukrainian culture, Mykhailo Khai was an absolutely unique. His immense energy gave birth to a series of restoration collectives. And, of course, he made an invaluable contribution to the development of kobzar culture, its preservation, and its understanding from a scholarly point of view, in particular. Plus there’s Mykhailo Yosypovych’s style of playing— he played on the streets even though he was already a professor with a doctorate. 

“I first saw him when he was playing with Mykola Budnyk. When I heard the sound of his lira, I couldn’t believe my ears: Mykhailo was so enthusiastic; his playing was fantastic. It was unlike anything else. . . .

“I began to see him as a teacher, as an older friend. I was taken with his expeditions, his methodology, and his research. He saw something in Ukrainian music that set us apart from other peoples, something authentic that allows us to preserve ourselves.”