Parental love of musician-virtuoso Roman Kumlyk
When she starts talking about her father, her voice changes, becomes full of respect and gratitude. Natalia Guzak-Kumlyk continues the museum work of her father Roman Kymlyk and in addition does something more – teaches other people to love.
The Roman Kumlyk Museum of Hutsul Life, Ethnography and Musical Instruments is a private museum in Verkhovyna, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, established in 1998. It is always crowded, because this place is one of the must-visits for tourists.
The exposition is located on the first floor of the Kumlyk`s house. You need to carefully climb the wooden stairs to get here. The walls are covered with musical instruments, which have different stories, old photos, Hutsul clothes, dishes, watches and saddlebags.
At the time when her father was in charge of the museum, Natalia was not interested in music. It seemed to her that she still could not be like her father, so from childhood she decided to become a doctor. The father supported her and the girl later mastered the profession of pediatrician. At that time, virtuoso musician Roman Kumlyk played 35 musical instruments, conducted tours and made sure that the family was happy.
In 2014, when her dad died, the question of whether to close the museum or not arose.
I somehow decided that no, I probably do not have the right to close the museum. It's Dad's heart, Dad's soul, Dad's museum. And he kept saying, "I did it for people,
The first time she gave excursions, she just kept talking. But she really dreamed of learning to play any musical instrument to really show how her dad’s museum sounds. She studied for a long time, listened to recordings, repeated, and, finally, it gradually began to work out and now the music during tours in the museum music is heard. It was not easy to handle all the musical instruments, but persistence and even sleepless nights helped the woman.
Moreover, Natalia invites tourists to try the instruments – to play the drum, or even the trembita. She is always cheerful and friendly with guests; she tells jokes and laughs. When she talks about her dad, tears start welling up in her eyes.
Wherever I am, I always go forward. It depends on the character. If I didn't want to, you would come, and I said: “The museum hasn't been working for 6 years. But I did a lot of work during that time.
Natalia Kumlyk has no days off: no Saturdays, no Sundays, no holidays – every day there are people who want to visit the museum. After her father died, Natalia left the hospital and gave all her time to the museum. She didn’t have time for anything else and was terribly tired. But now she has slightly adjusted her schedule and is returning to pediatrics. Natalia is sure that she will be able to combine the two most important things in her life – to be a doctor and a hutsul.
Dad is a support for me. He gave us so much love that after he died, this love and support remained,
