The Rocket

Issue date: 3/30/07 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Submitted Photo Members of Duquesne University's Tamburitzans, a song and dance troupe, perform a dance to an Eastern European folk song. More than 8,000 costume pieces and 400 musical instruments are part of the Tamburitzans' collection. [Click to enlarge]

As the third event of SRU's ING Performing Arts Series, the Duquesne University Tamburitzans will be showcasing their talents at tonight's sold-out 7:30 show in Miller Auditorium.

The Tamburitzans, according to their Web site, are deemed America's longest-running multicultural song and dance company.

The group, made up of full-time Duquesne students, is an ensemble "dedicated to the performance and preservation of the music, songs and dances of Eastern Europe and neighboring folk cultures."

The group began in 1937 as a musical group consisting of 12 young men who played the tamburitza, a traditional Eastern European stringed instrument. Inspired by the sounds of the instrument and the culture surrounding it, founder A. Lester Pierce brought his "Slavonic Tamburitza Orchestra" to Pittsburgh, where he negotiated an agreement with Duquesne University to become the group that exists today.

Under the direction of Managing Director Paul G. Stafura, students who become a part of this group are diverse and come from all over the country and world.

Marty Kosovich, a senior at Duquesne and a fourth-year member of the Tamburitzans, said the group now has about 30 members, four of whom are currently international students.

Though a small group, they perform an average of 80 shows throughout the academic year, taking up most weekends and academic breaks, all while maintaining a full class load.

While this can make it difficult to manage their time between class, practices and performances, Kosovich said you eventually get the hang of it.

"You just do it," Kosovich said. "(There is) no time to think about it. You just do it."

Continued...

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