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On the eve of newly inaugurated Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko's first official visit to the United States, the Brooklyn Ukrainian Group in partnership with the United Ukrainian American Organizations of Greater New York is pleased to announce that Maria Burmaka, a leading female artist of Ukraine's Orange Revolution, will arrive in North America for a concert tour, which will begin April 1 in New York City, travel to Philadelphia on April 2 and culminate in Toronto on Saturday, April 9.On March 31 the artist will visit the Ukrainian Studies Program at Columbia University, who will host a talk by Burmaka, followed by a reception, during which the public will have the chance to hear a discussion on the influence of music on the Orange Revolution and to meet with the singer. The talk and reception, both free, are sponsored by "Fond Katedr Ukrainoznavstva," the Ukrainian Studies Fund.



Maria Burmaka is the first popular Ukrainian musician to travel to the United States and Canada to share first-hand, her encounters of the extraordinary acts of political protest in overwhelming support of free and fair elections in Ukraine.



The tour will allow Burmaka to perform her music in an intimate acoustic setting. She will share her songs and stories as a principal performer on Kyiv's Independence Square during the mass demonstrations that took place in Ukraine at the time of the Orange Revolution. The month-long phenomenon, initiated by Ukraine's youth and students, quickly spread to all demographics of this country of nearly 50 million. The success of this peaceful revolution has changed the face of democracy in Eastern Europe.



Proceeds from the concert tour will benefit three global projects: Help Us Help The Children, a project of Children Of Chornobyl Canadian Fund, a voluntary, non-profit charitable initiative dedicated to improving the quality of life of children living in orphanages in Ukraine; FOLK, a non-profit documentary on Ukrainian folk dancing; and The Bohdan and Natalia Kowal Scholarship Fund, an academic scholarship program through Chicago-based Mohyla Academy Inc. for students in Ukraine.



Space is limited. Tickets are available at the following locations:



-- New York -- Surma, 11 E 7th Street, 212-957-1288



-- Philadelphia -- Dnipro, 1801 Cottman Ave., 215-728-6040



-- Toronto -- West Arka, 2282 Bloor Street W., 416-762-8751



For further concert and ticket information please contact Yuri Pylyp at 203- 561-5969 for New York and Philadelphia; Ihor Bokiy at 647-886-1905 for Toronto.



Sponsors of the Maria Burmaka concert tour include:



Self Reliance New York Federal Credit Union; The Golden Lion of Toronto; the Ukrainian League of Philadelphia; the Ukrainian Studies Program at Columbia University; Kontakt Ukrainian TV Network; UkrainaTV.com; atlanticsoundstudio.com.



For press registration contact Natalia Labenskyj at 917-554- 2103 or [email protected]. Each reporter must be registered and present press credentials to attend this event.



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Founded in 2003, the Brooklyn Ukrainian Group is a voluntary group committed to supporting Ukrainian American filmmakers, artists, musicians, and artisans in projects which incorporate Ukrainian customs and traditions in a modern day setting.



The United Ukrainian American Organizations of Greater New York is a 100-year-old organization whose mission is to unite Ukrainian American organizations in greater metropolitan New York and New Jersey in initiatives preserving and promoting our cultural heritage, creating a positive image of Ukrainians.