Ukrainian music sounds in the world during the war

At a time when Ukraine is under full-scale military attack by the Russian Federation, our culture is becoming a more and more significant reminder to the world of Ukrainians’ brave resistance to the invader. To get acquainted with the symbolic musical works that famous Ukrainian musicians collected before the 30th anniversary of the restoration of Ukrainian Independence, follow the link. To support important Ukrainian and European initiatives, as well as to raise your own spirit for struggle, read on.

The initiative of the Lyatoshynsky Club, supported by Ukrainian Live and the Ukrainian Institute, is aimed at creating an online database of works by Ukrainian authors for distribution among foreign institutions. 

New initiatives are being launched by Polish musicians, Warsaw Autumn Festival art director Jerzy Kornowicz and renowned conductor Vincent Kozlovsky are planning to perform chamber music by contemporary Ukrainian composers. The project was presented on a Polish radio broadcast on February 28, March 1 on Ukrainian Island Radio. 

Polish Society of Authors and Composers ZAiKS opens its houses for emigrants, sets the new funds for artists from Ukraine. Vincent Kozlovsky organizes chamber music concerts in support of Ukrainian artists.

 

On February 26, the Lithuanian Contemporary Music Ensemble LENsemble Vilnius released an album entitled Contemporary music from Ukraine, which has collected their own recordings of 2015 concerts with works by Ukrainian composers, including Borys Lyatoshynsky, Vitaliy Godzyatsky, Anna Arkushyna, Maksym Kolomiiets, Bohdan Sehin, Anna Korsun, Victoria Poleva. Soloist — famous accordionist Roman Yusipey.

Ukrainian violinist Anna Dzialak-Savytska and her Polish husband Jakub Dzialak, who live in Switzerland, hold three benefit concerts in different cantons of the country. During the concert on March 6, the musicians raised 4,510 Swiss francs (148,000 hryvnias). All proceeds will go to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the needs of Ukrainians.

Well-known conductor Oksana Lyniv called on the authors to write music dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Russian-Ukrainian war by April. She announced this on her Facebook page:

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In addition, the Ukrainian Choral Society named after Mykola Leontovych sends scores of Ukrainian choral music to European choirs at the request of colleagues from abroad. You can add examples in the comments to this post.

The National Union of Composers of Ukraine has released music of different centuries from its library. This link will gradually be supplemented by new works of Ukrainian composers.

At the moment, Art without Borders Association is providing the necessary assistance to those in Ukraine who require help. Its message says “Before this crisis, our association provided support for young musicians in their professional development, but we now have changed our focus to try to help anyone in need with medications, food, and other basic necessities”.

On March 4, musicians from the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz (Austria), students of the class of Professor Milana Cherniavska, and in particular pianist Dmytro Choni, played a concert “Stand with Ukraine”.

“A Concert for Ukraine” will take place in New York (USA) on March 11. Among other musicians, the famous composer, one of the most influential authors of the second half of the XX century Philip Glass will perform some of his music.

To the world music community

Dear colleagues, musicians, you can express your solidarity with the Ukrainian people by including in your concert programs the State Anthem of Ukraine. Here you can find the scores for performing with the orchestra.

The lyrics “Ukraine’s Glory Has Not Yet Perished, Nor Her Freedom” were written in 1862, 160 years ago, long before “Lenin invented Ukraine” by Vladimir Putin’s sick imagination. Support our fight for freedom and democracy, drawing attention to the war in Europe, in the 21st century.

A number of Ukrainian cultural institutions, including the Lviv National Opera and the Lviv National Philharmonic, provide access to the digital archive of their own music libraries.

Let the music speak for our country, lobbying more severe sanctions for Russian Federation, who is the aggressor.

Glory to Ukraine!