DakhaBrakha performs in Whitefish

The Whitefish Theatre Company presents DakhaBrakha April 24 in Whitefish.

DakhaBrakha will perform their joyous, infectious music on  April 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish.

A sonic feast as well as a visual spectacle with their towering lambs-wool hats, Kiev’s DakhaBrakha weaves ancient Ukrainian folk melodies into a musical tapestry that embraces indie rock, pop, hip hop, the avant garde, and traditional instrumentation from around the world. Performing rhythms that are at once sacred and modern, DahkaBrakha creates a sound of unexpected and extremely powerful new music, all driven by propulsive drums, accordion, cello, mouth harp, and layered vocals. With recent venues that include the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the 2014 Bonnaroo Music Festival where they were named “Best Breakout Band”, the band calls their music “ethno-chaos,” a moniker that perfectly describes their fearless appropriation of African, Asian, Arabic and Western influences in creation of their singular sound. While DakhaBrakha mixes modern sounds with traditional Ukrainian songs in cool yet beguiling textures, National Public Radio notes, “it’s really the live shows that take DakhaBrakha beyond mere curiosity to utter brilliance.”

DakhaBrakha is comprised of band members Marko Halanevych on accordion, percussion, and vocals, Nina Garenetska on cello, percussion, and vocals, Iryna Kovalenko on keyboards, percussion, and vocals, and Olena Tsybulska on percussion and vocals. With a name that translates as “give/take” in old Ukrainian, the quartet does far more than introduce Ukrainian music or prove it is alive and well. With one foot in the urban avant-garde theater scene from their past with the DAKH Theatre in Kiev and one foot in the village life that protected Ukraine’s cultural wealth, DakhaBrakha shows the full fury and sensuality of some of Eastern European’s most breathtaking folklore. With the recent political and social unrest in Ukraine, DakhaBrakha has taken on the mission of cultural ambassador, celebrating national pride in uncertain times through the limitless power of music. According to the Guardian, DakhaBrakha presents “the most unexpectedly successful, emotional performance … an exhilarating set that seemed to sum up their country’s chaos and hope.”

Tickets are $28 for adults and $14 for students with reserved seating. Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office, 1 Central Ave., Whitefish, or by calling 862-5371. Box office hours are from 10 a.m.to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour before a performance. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.whitefishtheatreco.org. An outreach concert for local students is sponsored by Glacier Bank and produced with grant support from the National Endowment of the Arts and Western States Arts Federation.