Taras Kompanichenko

Taras Kompanichenko is a kobzar, bandurist, cultural activist, expert on the history of music and performances of medieval and baroque music of Ukraine, and leader of the Khoreia Kozatska group. He’s currently serving in the military.

Born in 1969 in Kyiv, he studied at the Kosiv College of Applied Art and the Lviv Institute of Applied Art. In the 1990s he began reviving the traditional kobzar repertoire on authentic instruments such as the Veresai kobza, the old-world bandura, and the hurdy-gurdy. For nearly 30 years, Kompanichenko has been working to bring back traditional Ukrainian epic music of dumas, chants, psalms, and historical songs. He performs pieces dating from Kyivan Rus to the 18th century, often with Ukrainian poetic texts of the time. He simultaneously works to popularize the legacy of the kobzar and the Ukrainian spiritual tradition.

Kompanichenko is an active participant in national movements. He took part in the Orange Revolution and the Revolution of Dignity and performed for soldiers at the front during the Russian-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. In 2022, Taras himself joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces, becoming a senior soldier in the 241st Separate Territorial Defense Brigade. 

Taras is married to Nina Burmistrova with whom he has four children: Sviatopolk, Bohuslav, Bohdana, and Sofia. His son Bohuslav has been serving in the military since 2024.

(based on the site duma.com.ua)