Anatolii Hrytsai (1 January 1931, Zhovtneve village, Koropskyi district, Chernihiv region - 12 September 2003, Rivne) was a bandura player, teacher, poet, and public figure.
In 1952, he graduated from the R. M. Glier Kyiv Music School, and in 1957 - from the P. I. Tchaikovsky Kyiv Conservatory, majoring in bandura (teacher V. Kabachok) and conducting. In 1955-1956, he taught at the R. Glière Kyiv Music School. He performed in the orchestras of the H. Veriovka State Folk Choir and the P. Virsky Dance Ensemble of Ukraine. Since 1957, he has been a teacher at the Rivne Music College. He also worked at the Rivne Pedagogical Institute and the Rivne Institute of Culture.
He founded a kobza school in Rivne region. He was actively involved in the promotion of Ukrainian art, in particular, Ukrainian folk songs. He was the organiser and artistic director of the bandura quartet of the Rivne Music School and the bandura chapel at the House of Amateur Trade Unions. The performances of these groups were a success, they were recorded on the Rivne Regional Radio, and a disc entitled "The Bandura Bandura Choir" and "Golden Quartet" was released.
Head of the Rivne branch of the All-Ukrainian Union of Kobzars (1996).
Among his students: I. Nemirovych, N. Moskvina, Y. Gamova, N. Pysarenko, V. Pindyk, Y. Yanytskyi, H. Toporovska, Nazar Voloshchuk, T. Benediuk [Archived 26 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine] and others.
Creative work
Author of arrangements and translations of folk and author's songs for bandura
Author of songs based on his own lyrics
Author of poetry. After his death, a collection of poems "Bandura - My Soul" was published (2008).
Public activity
A memorial plaque to Anatoliy Hrytsai on the building of the Rivne Music School
He promoted kobza art. He was the artistic director of the traditional "Bandura Evenings", which were held for over 40 years at the Rivne Music College. He published articles in local newspapers on topics of artistic life. He participated in programmes on the regional and Ukrainian radio. He was a member of the jury of regional competitions and the First All-Ukrainian Festival of Kobza Art named after Kosti Misevych (Dubno, 2000).
He created exhibitions of materials "History of Rivne Music College", "Our Cossack Family", "Great-grandfathers live in strings" and others, which were exhibited in the main building of Rivne Music College.
He was a member of the board of the Rivne regional branch of the Taras Shevchenko All-Ukrainian Society "Prosvita".
