Inna Kovtun
“Being a Taproot artist means being part of a larger movement dedicated to preserving our cultural heritage and reminding the world of the richness and beauty of Ukrainian traditions, especially at this critical time.”
Inna Kovtun
Photo by Polina Kovtun
Photo by Polina Kovtun
Inna Kovtun performing at Ukrainian Festival. Photo by Polina Kovtun
Inna Kovtun performing at cultural event. Photo by Drake Garcia
Photo by Polina Kovtun
of 6
An ethno-singer, musicologist, songwriter & teacher
Inna Kovtun is a leading authority on traditional Ukrainian folk music. She is a Master of Music, Folklore and Ethnography. As an ethno-singer, musicologist, songwriter and teacher, Inna has researched ancient traditions and folklore.
Inna has collected over 1,000 authentic songs from her research expeditions. She has researched the history of the life of the Ukrainian people, traditional rites and dances. She was artistic director of the folk band Rozhanytsia and premier Ukrainian academic folklore, ethnographic ensemble Kalyna, deputy general director of the Ukrainian Academic Municipal Brass Orchestra, soloist of international ethno project EDK and soloist of ethno-rock band Astarta. Inna performed concerts and taught workshops on Ukrainian folklore world-wide.
Shortly after the start of the war, Inna and her daughter came to the U.S., where she continues to perform and teach master classes nationwide. In addition, she organizes events and master classes on Ukrainian arts and culture. She is the founder and manager of the first Ukrainian theatre in Portland, Oregon, “I Love Ukraine”. She is the Music Director of the Children’s Ensemble Singing Dawn/Blue-Yellow. As a leader in Ukrainian culture, Inna has been inducted as an artist on the roster of the Oregon Folklife Network. Furthermore, Inna is a Qualified Mental Health Professional and the Health and Wellness Director at D.A.W.N., the Oregon-based non-profit organization supplying tactical aid to Ukraine and supporting culture, mental health, and wellness in Ukraine and here in the U.S.
What does the Taproot Fellowship mean to you and how will it affect your practice?
Being a Taproot artist is an incredible honor and responsibility. It’s a way to continue the legacy of my ancestors. This work is about sharing love, resilience, and a sense of community through music and traditions. The Ukrainian spirit, even in the midst of war, is unbreakable, and my mission is to convey this message to others through my performances and teaching. Being a Taproot artist means being part of a larger movement dedicated to preserving our cultural heritage and reminding the world of the richness and beauty of Ukrainian traditions, especially at this critical time.
Meet more of our Fellows
See All
Delores Taitano Quinata
Bilembaotuyan Maker & Player
Hagatna, Guam
Lydia “Louise” Goings (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians)
Cherokee Basket Maker
Birdtown Community on the Qualla Boundary (Cherokee, NC)
David Comingdeer (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma)
Cherokee Ball Stick Maker
Flint District of the Cherokee Nation (Stilwell, OK)
TJ Sgwaayaans Young (Kaigani Haida)
Haida Wood Carver
Hydaburg, AK
Van-Anh Vanessa Vo
Vietnamese Traditional Musician & Composer
El Cerrito, CA
Reba Jo Teran (Eastern Shoshone)
Traditional Shoshone Saddle Maker & Bead Worker
Fort Washakie, WY
Raymond Wong
Traditional Chinese Lion Dancer & Martial Artist
Chinatown, Washington, DC
Ramón Rivera
Mariachi Musician & Educator
Mount Vernon, WA
Omar Santiago Fuentes
Puerto Rican Troubadour, Improviser of Verse & Décimas
Hatillo, Puerto Rico
Manuel A Delgado
Old-World Luthier
Nashville, TN
Lani Strong Hotch (Chilkat-Tlingit)
Chilkat/Ravenstail Weaver & Textile Artist
Klukwan, AK
Kewulay Kamara
Mandeng Finah Poet & Storyteller
Jackson Heights, NY
Karen Ann Hoffman (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin)
Haudenosaunee Raised Beadworker
Stevens Point, WI
Inna Kovtun
Ukrainian Ethno-Singer & Folklorist
Portland, OR
Hamid Al-Saadi
Iraqi Maqam Vocalist
Brooklyn, NY
Elena Terry (Ho-Chunk)
Indigenous Chef
Wisconsin Dells, WI
Dena Jennings
Affrolachian Musician & Culture Bearer
Nasons, VA
Chum Ngek
Cambodian Musician & Ritual Artist
Gaithersburg, MD
Billy Branch
Blues Musician
Chicago, IL
Chef BJ Dennis
Gullah Geechee Chef & Cultural Bearer
Charleston, SC
Brett Ratliff
Traditional Appalachian Musician
Stamping Ground, KY
Bruce Bradley
Tap Dancer
Flint, MI
Annetta Koruh (Hopi)
Hopi Weaver
Village Bacavi, Third Mesa-Hopi land, Arizona (Bacavi, AZ)
Alejandro López
Chicano Muralist
Santa Cruz, NM
Wayne Henderson
Appalachian Luthier & Musician
Mouth of Wilson, VA
Willard John
Moko Jumbie Stilt Dancer
St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Veronica Castillo
Mexican Polychromatic Ceramicist
San Antonio, TX
Theresa Secord
Penobscot Basketmaker
Farmington, ME
Stan Rodriguez
Kumeyaay Culture Bearer
Santa Ysabel, CA
Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto
Japanese Koto Musician
Oakland, CA
Shaka Zulu
New Orleans Black Masking craftsman & stiltdancer
New Orleans, LA
Sami Abu Shumays
Arab Musician
Queens, New York, NY
Roy & PJ Hirabayashi
Japanese American Taiko Musicians
San Jose, CA
Pedro Adorno Irizarry
Puerto Rican theater artist and director
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Ofelia Esparza & Rosanna Esparza Ahrens
Chicana Altaristas
East Los Angeles, CA
Meklit Hadero
Ethio-Jazz Vocalist & Composer
San Francisco, CA
King Khazm
Hip Hop Artist
Seattle, WA
Juan Longoria, Jr.
Conjunto Accordionist & Educator
Los Fresnos, TX
Jontavious Willis
Blues Musician
Luthersville, GA
Jesus M. Cepeda Brenes
Afro-Puerto Rican Musician & Folklorist
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Iris Brown
Puerto Rican Foodways & Agriculture
Philadelphia, PA
Gertie Lopez
Tohono O'odham Waila Musician
Tucson, AZ
Eva Ybarra
Conjunto Accordionist & Bandleader
San Antonio, TX
Dr. Dwayne Tomah
Passamaquoddy Language Keeper
Edmunds, ME
Deborah Gourneau
Anishinaabe (Chippewa) Culture Bearer
Belcourt, ND
Dani Pikolakitisaata Tippmann
Miami Plant Tradition-Bearer
Myaamionki (Fort Wayne, IN)
Bill Harris
Catawba Master Potter
McConnells, SC
Carolyn Mazloomi
Quiltmaker
West Chester, OH
Adrienne Benjamin | Amikogaabawiikwe
Jingle Dress Maker, Cultural Artist
Chiminising, Misizaagaiganing (Isle, MN)
Anwan “Big G” Glover
Go-Go Music Pioneer
Washington D.C.