Renowned sopilka master Taras Loshak, whose instruments were featured at Eurovision, has died
Ukrainian master flute maker Taras Loshak, whose instruments were used by well-known Ukrainian musicians—including the bands Go_A, Kalush Orchestra, TaRuTa, and Koralli—has died at the age of 46. Historian and religious scholar Taras Antoshevsky announced the master’s death on Facebook.
“Taras didn’t just make sopilkas—he carried on his father’s legacy, popularized it, and was a one-of-a-kind musician from the Boikivshchyna region. Unfortunately, he has passed away,” Antoshevsky wrote, expressing his condolences to the family.
Yaryna Tovkaylo, a member of the band TaRuTa, also reacted to the news of Loshak’s death. She called his passing a great loss for Ukraine and expressed her condolences to the family.
The master gained particular fame thanks to his sopilkas, which were heard far beyond Ukraine’s borders. In particular, it was on Taras Loshak’s instrument that the band Go_A performed the song “Shum” at the “Eurovision 2021” international song contest, where Ukraine placed fifth.
Taras Loshak lived and worked in the city of Dolyna in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. He was a lawyer by training but carried on the work of his father, Yaroslav Loshak—a renowned master of musical instruments.
In one interview, the craftsman recounted that he had ruined about a thousand flutes on his path to becoming a professional. To make his instruments, he used wood that had been seasoned for five to twelve years, ensuring high-quality sound.
After Russia’s full-scale invasion began, Taras Loshak donated his flutes to Ukrainian soldiers free of charge, noting that music helps them take their minds off the war, at least for a short while.
Antoshevsky announced the master’s death on Facebook on July 21.
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