For Immediate Release: April 13, 2009
Contacts: Michelle Jeffers (415) 557-4282 mjeffers@sfpl.org
San Francisco Public Library Presents
Balalaika: A Resurgence Of
Russia’s Musical Tradition
San Francisco Public Library’s International Center, in conjunction with the Consulate General of Russia in San Francisco, and the Russian Cultural Centre of Washington, D.C., presents Balalaika: A Resurgence of Russia’s Musical Tradition,
a cultural and musical program on Monday, April 20. The bilingual program and performance will be held in the Koret Auditorium of the Main Library, 100 Larkin St., from 2 to 4 p.m.
Balalaika is the term for a stringed instrument that is the symbol of Russian folk culture. The traditional balalaika’s popularity peaked in the 18th and 19th centuries and was referenced in the works of Russian classics including
Nikolai Gogol, Leo Tolstoy, and Fyodor Dostoevsky. A vanishing folk tradition, it is now being revitalized in the modern balalaika performance incorporating elements of folk, popular and classical music.
The Library program will feature the popular folk music group Balalaika from Syktyvkar, Russia. The group presents an imaginative musical fusion that spans Russian folk songs to Tchaikovsky to country western.
The Library’s facilities are wheelchair-accessible and all programs at the Library are free to the public. Parking is available at the Civic Center Garage off McAllister Street; BART and Muni Metro stop at Civic Center Station.
For directions, please refer the Library’s website: http://sfpl.org/librarylocations/main/maindirections.htm.
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