Nina Tritenichenko is a Ukrainian immigrant with a bevy of close Jewish friends and a passion for Jewish music. She even sings Yiddish songs with her Eastern European folk music group, the Barvinok Ensemble.
So it’s hard to believe that Tritenichenko, who’ll be performing with her ensemble at 10 a.m. on the Jessica Saal Memorial Main Stage, is not Jewish.
Unlike most Bay Area Ukrainian immigrants, the Tritenichenkos didn’t flee their country for political or religious reasons. Instead, a job brought them here. Ten years ago, Tritenichenko’s husband, Evhen, took an engineering job in Korea. Two years later they were transferred to Tucson, Ariz., where they lived for eight years. They moved to Palo Alto a year ago.
Despite leaving Ukraine, Tritenichenko could never leave behind her favorite music. Luckily, as a musician and music teacher, she never had to.
“I grew up with Eastern European folk music. It is like fresh air and water to me. I need it,” she said.
For 20 years in Ukraine, the couple performed together at social gatherings or for friends, but never professionally. In Arizona, they decided to try their hand at professional music, forming Barvinok, named for the Ukrainian periwinkle flower — a symbol of faithful love, friendship and long life.
The group started in 2002 with three members. Nina was the singer, accordion player and music arranger, and Evhen played guitar, Ukrainian wooden flute, snare drum and baritone. A few years later the group grew to seven members, only two of whom were Ukrainian.
“It doesn’t matter what nationality you are — as long as you love Eastern European music and are a good musician, you can play with us,” Tritenichenko said.
After moving to Palo Alto, Tritenichenko immediately assembled a new Barvinok Ensemble. The Bay Area’s rich cultural base offered many talented musicians to choose from.
The group currently has four regular members and three guest members. In addition to Nina and Evhen, there’s Rick Schneider, an American who speaks fluent Serbian and has a self-professed “Slavic soul,” and Ana Razgulova, a Russian from Siberia.
While Ukrainian folk music is not popular in Ukraine, the Bay Area has been very receptive to the genre. And after performing for free at the Palo Alto Russian festival, the phone calls and bookings started pouring in, Tritenichenko says.
The ensemble’s audience and fans are primarily Jewish and over the age of 40. The euphoric, romantic folk music sound conjures nostalgia for long ago.
Though their music may be old-fashioned, the group’s marketing sensibility is not. They have a Web site and have posted performance videos on YouTube.
When not performing, Tritenichenko works as a music teacher for the Mountain View nonprofit Community School of Music and Art, which sends her to public schools to teach music classes. She also gives private lessons in accordion, piano and voice in her home studio.
At the To Life! festival, 90 percent of the group’s music will be Jewish folk songs. In addition to Ukrainian music, the group plays Russian, Serbian and Italian songs, among others.
The group’s fan base is largely American, with very few Russians interested in their type of music, Tritenichenko says. But that doesn’t discourage her. “I am going to make this music popular again with everyone,” she says.