Live music is a huge improvement on canned music, which takes up valuable pantry space and often spoils into noxious free jazz. Keep it fresh with this GrouponLive deal.

The Deal

• C$20 for one ticket to Shevchenko Musical Ensemble in Concert: Bicentary of Taras Shevchenko (up to C$37 value)
• When: Sunday, May 18, at 3 p.m.
• Where: St. Michael's College School Centre for the Arts
• Seating: rows O–Q or BB–CC
• Door time: 1:30 p.m.
• Ticket values include all fees.
• Click here to view the seating chart.

Shevchenko Musical Ensemble in Concert: Bicentenary of Taras Shevchenko

This year marks the 200th birthday of Taras Shevchenko, the people's poet of the Ukraine and the namesake of the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble. The group celebrates the man's enduring impact with an evening of live performance and cake absolutely covered in candles. Joining the ensemble for this two-part celebration are the Desna Ukrainian Dance Company, the Taras H. Shevchenko Museum, and a traditional bandura player. Part one of the proceedings focuses on Shevchenko himself, using music and dance to express his lifelong battle against the cruelty of serfdom and his oft-banned written and painted works. Part two lauds the legacy of equality and freedom that he did not live to see—Shevchenko died just seven days before the emancipation of the serfs.

Shevchenko Musical Ensemble

The Shevchenko Musical Ensemble brings Eastern Europe to North America. But rather than using a cumbersome land-bridge, the company transports the folk, classical, and contemporary music of the Ukrainian people and other ethnic groups to Canada via lively performance. Throughout the season, the ensemble—made up of a choir, a mandolin orchestra, and folk dancers—present events ranging from lectures to orchestral concerts. And though SME has been a part of Ontario's cultural landscape for more than 55 years, its dedication to revitalizing classical works keeps the ancient heart of Ukrainian traditions beating half a world away.