The Ukrainian Classical Voice Project proudly presented Voices of Ukraine, an artistic and educational residency at Skidmore College culminating in a sold-out, standing-room-only concert at the Arthur Zankel Music Center. Presented in collaboration with the Skidmore College Department of Music amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, the residency celebrated the resilience, beauty, and cultural richness of Ukraine through its classical vocal, choral, folk, and dance traditions.

With repertoire selected by UCVP founder Irina Petrik, who also provided Ukrainian lyric diction coachings for all participating singers, the concert was presented under the musical direction of Yelena Kurdina of the Metropolitan Opera. The performance brought together guest soprano Vedrana Kalas, Skidmore faculty artists, student soloists, and the Vocal Chamber Ensemble. The evening also featured the Zorepad Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, led by Skidmore student and artistic director Lucas Lewyckyj, creating a multidisciplinary celebration of Ukrainian artistic heritage and bringing professional artists and emerging performers together on one stage.

The program featured rarely heard works by Mykola Lysenko, Hordiy Hladkyj, Danylo Kryzhanivskyj, Semen Hulak-Artemovsky, Kyrylo Stetsenko, Borys Lyatoshynsky, Stefania Turkewich, Serhiy Bortkevych, Anatoly Kos-Anatolsky, Mykola Dremlyuha, Oleksandr Bilash, and Lesya Dychko. Spanning generations of Ukrainian musical history, the repertoire illuminated the extraordinary breadth of the nation’s musical heritage while affirming the enduring relationship between artistic expression, cultural memory, and national identity.

The overwhelming audience response to Voices of Ukraine reflected the power of cultural exchange to create connection and understanding. Through performance, education, and collaboration, the residency brought Ukrainian artistic voices into the heart of the Skidmore community while advancing UCVP’s mission to ensure that this remarkable repertoire is heard, studied, performed, and preserved for future generations.

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