Ukrainian
musicians
at war

The Culture Fights Back project to share stories of artists and civil society representatives who have joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In this section, read the stories of modern Ukrainian artists who, at the cost of their lives and health, protect us against Russia’s military aggression in the 21st century.

Mark Tokar

Mark Tokar is an internationally revered Ukrainian jazz musician. Having played with the likes of Petras Vyšniauskas, Klaus Kugel, Ken Vandermark and Mikołaj Trzaska, he now defends Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion. 

Studying at the Lyudkevycha Music School in Lviv, Mark first focused on the guitar, then later took up double bass. Continuing his studies in Poland, he took classes from American jazz player Michael Parkinson. He is the first Ukrainian to perform at the prestigious Chicago Jazz Festival (2012). In Ukraine, he took part in theatrical, literary and musical productions, including those of writer Yuriy Andruhovych, poet Maryana Sadovska, and writer and musician Serhii Zhadan. 

Mark joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in March, 2022, serving in the infantry. He has supported the Ukrainian army since the beginning of the 2014 Russian invasion. He created a multimedia music project, To Remember, consisting of video interviews about the war. He continued to work on this project in 2022 after the full-scale invasion, presenting it at the Riga Art Center in January, 2023. During 2022, Mark and his band also participated in International Music Festivals, such as in Lithuania and Latvia, representing Ukrainian artists at war. 

The discography of Mark Tokar includes a dozen albums. Check out his music via this link.

The project was initiated by the Ukrainian Institute and was produced in partnership with Jazzography.in.ua.

Photos:
1 – Gastroli.ua
2 – Ruslan Prokhov
Check out Mark Tokar's music: YouTube