Inna Kovtun (Portland) is a traditional Ukrainian singer, dancer, and folklorist from Kyiv (Ukraine). Kovtun performs and teaches workshops on Ukrainian folk song and dance, researches Ukrainian folklore, and actively participates in initiatives that support Ukraine and promote Ukrainian culture in Portland and elsewhere.
Bio
Growing up in Krasnopillya (Sumy region, Ukraine), Kovtun first started learning Ukrainian folk songs from her great-grandmother, who knew traditional songs, folk tales, and legends from her grandmother. In elementary school, Kovtun joined the school folk choir, and later enrolled in a music school, with a concentration on piano and classical vocal performance. After her successful debut on stage at the early age of 6, she went on to perform all over Ukraine, singing folk and opera songs, and winning multiple prizes. While her teachers noted Kovtun's outstanding talent for opera singing and encouraged her to pursue it as a career, Kovtun instead devoted her life to Ukrainian folk music so dear to her heart.
Adding to the collection of tunes she learned from her grandmother, Kovtun started formal fieldwork on traditional Ukrainian songs, dances, and customs at the age of 15. Kovtun earned a B.A. in choral conducting from Kharkiv College of Culture and Arts, and an M.A. in music and folklore from Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts. She has now collected more than 1000 songs from all over Ukraine and performs these songs with her folk ensemble Rozhanytsia, educating people about traditional Ukrainian culture and keeping the tradition alive and well.
Kovtun is the leader and musical director of the folk ensemble Rozhanytsia, Deputy Director-General of the Kyiv Academic Municipal Brass Band, soloist of the international folk music project EDK, and soloist of the ethno-rock band Astarta. She has performed and taught workshops on Ukrainian folklore across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, as well as in the UK, Georgia, Turkey, and China. Fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kovtun moved to Portland in March of 2022, and has since been closely involved in local initiatives that promote Ukrainian culture and support Ukraine.
