Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The performances are also planned in New York, London, Amsterdam, Hamburg, and Dublin.
16 August at the Grand Theatre in Warsaw, a concert of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra dedicated to the 35-th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, reports the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.
The performance was conducted by the orchestra’s founder, Kerry-Lynn Wilson, as part of the fifth international tour of the ensemble – Invincible Tour 2026.
“The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra fulfills an important mission – to present Ukraine as a cultural ambassador, to acquaint the international audience with Ukrainian music, and to represent it worthily beside European classics. Russia seeks to destroy Ukrainian identity and culture. Supporting Ukrainian culture now is an act of resisting Russian aggression. May every Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra concert become another voice in support of Ukraine, its freedom, and its culture,” said Tetiana Filevska, Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine.
Concerts are also planned at Lincoln Center (New York), St Paul’s Cathedral (London), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg), and the National Concert Hall (Dublin).
During the concerts, a new work commissioned for the orchestra will be performed, “Gloria” by Ukrainian composer Bogdana Frolyak and “Mothers of Kherson” by contemporary Ukrainian composer Maksym Kolomiyets, as well as compositions by European classical composers Giuseppe Verdi (Italy), Gustav Mahler (Austria), Ludwig van Beethoven (Germany), and Johann Strauss (Austria).
“Russia is destroying – we are building. Russia is destroying – we are creating. And with this we prove that Ukraine makes a significant contribution to world culture. Your presence here today with us is another testimony that Ukraine is not alone in this struggle. In these difficult times, we especially feel how important culture is, because culture unites, builds new bridges, and helps better understand how Ukraine lives today,” said Vasyl Bodnar, Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland.
The concert was held under the patronage of First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska and the Embassy of Ukraine in Poland, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland.
About the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra:
founded in 2022-as an initiative of Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Kerry-Lynn Wilson in collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Polish National Opera in Warsaw;
brings together Ukrainian musicians who left Ukraine due to the full-scale Russian invasion, and performers who continue their professional activity in Ukraine;
the orchestra has performed in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, France, Ireland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Romania.
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