From Firelight to Folk Spirit: Roman Baranskiy on His Award-Winning Work “Chuhayster”

Roman Baranskiy was awarded the Absolute First Prize and Vivaldi Visionary Creativity Special Prize in the Professional (No age limit) category of the 2025 Season 2 Vivaldi International Music Competition for his work "Chuhayster".

Could you share the inspiration behind "Chuhayster" and the message you hope to convey through it?

Chuhayster is based on a folk spirit from Ukrainian mythology. It is a wild but protective figure who lives in the forest and dances with fire. When I was writing it, I kept thinking about a video I saw of the Ukrainian band BoomBox performing “Oy u luzi chervona kalyna” in military uniform, with a rifle slung over the singer’s back. It hit me how deeply Ukrainian it is to face pain with music, to meet hardship with rhythm and spirit. At the heart of this project is my desire to share the richness of Ukrainian folklore with a wider audience. These characters aren’t just old stories to me, they’re symbols of resilience, joy, and survival. Especially now, while Ukraine is going through so much, I feel a responsibility to carry these myths forward in my own way. Chuhayster is the first of six character-based pieces I’m writing as part of that larger vision.

What was your creative process like while composing "Chuhayster"? How did you approach the structure and dynamics of the piece?

Before the war, I avoided letting anything Ukrainian slip into my music. It felt too emotional, too sentimental, and I didn’t trust that part of myself. So I leaned hard on structure: serialism, spectralism, math-driven forms. It kept my writing clean but also kind of cold. Then the invasion happened. I couldn’t write for months. I felt paralyzed. But eventually, all the emotion I’d pushed down came rushing out. I wrote a small soundtrack for a video game, just to feel something again. That cracked something open. With Chuhayster, I still tried to lean on some formal ideas, but nothing stuck. I kept hitting walls. So I gave up on control and just wrote from the gut. The piece is through-composed. It moves without a fixed form and most of it sits in Dorian mode, which to me feels like the most “woodsy” of the modes. It helped Chuhayster feel grounded in the forest.

How did you collaborate with the musicians and producer for the music recording, and were there any memorable moments during the session?

The piece was commissioned and produced by 3232 Music, a Bay Area-based group working to improve how modern classical music is presented online, making it visually beautiful and musically bold. Chuhayster was the first piece in their jazz/classical fusion series. The string parts are fully written out, but the drums are completely improvised. That was a first for me. I gave some light directions (“groove here,” “imitate that line,” “build it up”) but Scott Amendola brought the rest. I was honestly anxious giving that much freedom to one musician, but Scott handled it with such feel and intuition, it elevated the whole thing. The Friction Quartet played the strings. They’re incredible players. Not many classically trained musicians are comfortable performing alongside a jazz drummer. There’s a lot of ambiguity and gray area, but they embraced it. (A fun detail: their second violinist had to step out last minute for a family emergency, and Jessica Folson filled in with just a few days of prep. She blended in so seamlessly it felt like she’d been playing with them for years). Matt Muntz played double bass. The day of the recording, I handed him a new part, and he sight-read it like it was nothing. I was floored. The level of talent and professionalism surrounding me on this project was humbling. It reminded me how much can come to life when you trust other artists and let go a little. It was also my first time in a studio like that. I had no idea what to expect, and at one point I told them to “make it sound more gypsy” or “pretend you’re an accordion.” Somehow they knew exactly what I meant.

Would you like to share your experience participating in our competition and thank anyone?

I’m thankful to the Vivaldi International Music Competition for giving a platform to emerging artists. Getting recognition is nice, but even more meaningful is having the chance to talk about the story behind the music. Chuhayster is just the beginning of a six-part series exploring Ukrainian folk characters as symbols of cultural resilience, especially now, as the war drags on and the world gets used to the pain. I’m grateful to anyone who still holds Ukraine in their heart and mind. Huge thanks to 3232 Music (specifically Peter Bransten)  for taking a chance on me. And most of all, to my wife Snow, who took on extra childcare so I could finish writing. I wouldn’t be here without her :)

Biography

Roman Baranskiy is a Ukrainian-born composer, teacher, and instrumentalist based in California. A graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, his work blends classical form with jazz rhythm, folk melody, and electronic textures. Earlier in his career, Baranskiy focused on abstract, process-driven techniques — exploring spectralism, serialism, and geometric forms. His orchestral work Birds Landing earned first prize from the International Conductor Union and a silver medal from the Global Music Awards. His chamber piece Aura, commissioned by CAPMT, received an Honorable Mention from Tribeca New Music. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, his creative direction shifted. While formal complexity remains part of his voice, it now supports a more emotional and culturally rooted language. His current focus is a series based on Ukrainian folk characters, beginning with Chuhayster. The next piece, Mavka, continues this exploration of myth as a vessel for identity, resistance, and remembrance.

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