The Minstrel

Location: Kyiv(Kiev), Ukraine

My work takes me to Kyiv, frequently, my schedules are hectic, with the few gaps in my schedule I try and get out with my camera and if not I do like to wander the streets just watching and observing.
I know this minstrel (if not by name but at least by face).  I spotted him huddled in a cold corner of the metro station at the Independance Square.  Haggard and weary in cossack dress.  Not so much a performer but more as one seeking alms.  That was about eight years ago in 2008 on a very cold (-10C) December. Over the years I have watched him evolve, firstly grow healthier and more confident, not much is left of his abject impoverishment.  Now he occupies the prized position of being the sole performer in the grounds of St Sophias Cathedral, one of the most prominent landmarks of Kiev.

His songs and music are hauntingly meloncholy .. he sings ballads of traditional Ukranian folklore (So I am told).