ukraine orchestra tour

<strong data-cart-timer="" role="text"></strong>

Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra to be Filmed at the Kennedy Center for Broadcast on PBS

The john f. kennedy center for the performing arts, the metropolitan opera, and pbs announce.

Final Performance of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra to be Filmed at the Kennedy Center for Broadcast on PBS

(WASHINGTON)—The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Metropolitan Opera, and PBS announce that the final performance of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra will be filmed for broadcast in September on PBS . The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, gathered by the Met and the Polish National Opera, is comprised of recent Ukrainian refugees and other artists in a gesture of solidarity with the victims of the war in Ukraine. The orchestra will embark on a European and American tour on July 28 that culminates with a performance at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Saturday, Aug. 20, at 8 p.m. ET. Further information about the PBS broadcast, also premiering on PBS.org and the PBS Video app, will be announced later.

“This remarkable ensemble is a testament to the power of artists and the arts to affect change and uplift the voices of those fighting for freedom. We are honored, as America’s national cultural center, to join with our friends at PBS and the Metropolitan Opera to bring this concert and the stories of these brave artists to the world,” said Deborah F. Rutter, President of the Kennedy Center.

"We’re extremely proud to share this powerful program with our audiences,” said Paula Kerger, CEO of PBS. "The arts are unmatched in their ability to bring people together and highlight our shared humanity, and I hope that by spotlighting the vibrancy and talent of these Ukrainian artists we can enable a deeper understanding of the situation in Ukraine.”

The orchestra includes recent refugees; Ukrainian members of European orchestras, including the Tonkunstler Orchestra of Vienna, the Belgian National Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; and musicians from the Kyiv National Opera, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra and Kharkiv Opera, among other Ukrainian ensembles. The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine is supporting the project by addressing the organizational issues of allowing male musicians to put down their weapons and take up their instruments in a remarkable demonstration of the power of art over adversity.

Under the leadership of Canadian-Ukrainian conductor  Keri-Lynn Wilson , the orchestra will perform a program that includes Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov’s Seventh Symphony; Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, with Ukrainian virtuoso  Anna Fedorova ; and Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony.

Leading Ukrainian soprano  Liudmyla Monastyrska will also perform Leonore’s great aria “Abscheulicher!” from Beethoven’s  Fidelio , a paean to humanity and peace in the face of violence and cruelty.

The assembling of orchestras in the face of violence and in the name of peace has a long tradition. The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra has its roots in an ensemble founded in Palestine by Bronisław Huberman in the 1930s to help rescue Jewish musicians in Europe from the Holocaust. The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, founded in 1999 by the conductor Daniel Barenboim and the Palestinian scholar Edward W. Said, brings together musicians from Israel and Arab nations. The Afghanistan National Institute of Music, long a target of the Taliban, had sent ensembles out into the world before the recent Taliban takeover of the country.

The U.K. concert agency Askonas Holt, one of the world’s leading management agencies, is organizing the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra tour.

The broadcast is executive produced by Deborah F. Rutter, Peter Gelb, Matthew Winer and Steve Holtzman. Kristin Fosdick directs with her team in the Kennedy Center’s multimedia department. Douglas Chang is the executive in charge for PBS.

ABOUT THE KENNEDY CENTER The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts , currently celebrating its 50th Anniversary, is America’s living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, attracting millions of visitors each year to more than 2,000 performances, events, and exhibits. With its artistic affiliates, the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, the Center is one of the nation’s busiest performing arts centers dedicated to providing world-class art, powerful education and outstanding memorial experiences to the broadest possible constituency. Across all its offerings, the Kennedy Center is committed to increasing accessible, inclusive opportunities for all people to participate in, and learn through the arts, including more than 400 free performances each year and a variety of specially priced ticket programs for students, seniors, persons with disabilities, and others. On September 7, 2019, the Kennedy Center inaugurated the REACH, its first-ever major expansion. Designed by Steven Holl Associates, the REACH provides visitors with new opportunities to interact and engage with the Center as the nation’s premier nexus of arts, learning and culture.

ABOUT THE METROPOLITAN OPERA Since the very start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Metropolitan Opera has been taking action to support Ukraine and its cultural sovereignty. On February 25th, the day after the invasion began, the Met severed its co-production relationship with the Bolshoi, since it is subsidized by the Russian state, and the Met produced a series of events to demonstrate its solidarity with Ukraine. The Met was the first opera company to perform the Ukrainian National Anthem and the first company to present a special concert in support of Ukraine, featuring some of the Met’s leading stars, which was broadcast live into Ukraine on Ukrainian Public Radio. The Met presented Ukraine’s leading soprano, Lyudmila Monastyrska in performances of Turandot that were transmitted into cinemas. The image of Monastyrska, wrapped in a Ukrainian flag during her curtain call, was seen around the world. Together with the Polish Opera, the Met organized the creation and historic tour of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra. “With this tour, we are helping to defend Ukraine and its cultural heritage,” said Peter Gelb, the Met’s General Manager.

  ABOUT PBS PBS , with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 120 million people through television and 26 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature, and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS’s premier children’s media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV—including a 24/7 channel, online at  pbskids.org , via an array of mobile apps, and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at  www.pbs.org , one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following  PBS on Twitter ,  Facebook  or through our  apps for mobile and connected devices . Specific program information and updates for press are available at  pbs.org/pressroom  or by following  PBS Communications on Twitter .

PRESS CONTACTS

Jen Luzzo The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts [email protected]

Brendan Padgett The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts [email protected]

PJ Feinstein PBS [email protected]

By using this site, you agree to our  Privacy Policy  and  Terms & Conditions  which describe our use of cookies.

Reserve Tickets

Review cart.

You have 0 items in your cart.

Your cart is empty.

Keep Exploring Proceed to Cart & Checkout

Donate Today

Support the performing arts with your donation.

To join or renew as a Member, please visit our  Membership page .

To make a donation in memory of someone, please visit our  Memorial Donation page .

• Custom Other

Ukrainian orchestra performs in Worcester for the first leg of its US tour

The Kyiv-based National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine is stopping by Mechanics Hall in Worcester on Friday, kicking off a two-week U.S. tour .

Volodymyr Vynnytsky, the soloist pianist with the tour, reflected on the its importance with regard to the war in Ukraine, in which some of the orchestra’s members are currently service. He got his American citizenship within the last few years.

“I think it’s very natural to represent [your] country. We represent both country now — in United States and Ukraine, also,” Vynnytsky said on Boston Public Radio Friday. “We are ambassadors. We try to help how we can, help our country where we were born.”

Cellist Natalia Khoma, who is also married to Vynnytsky, shared the mindset of optimism that she and other Ukrainians are holding onto.

“The hope is very important,” she said. “You probably understand what we hope, that Ukraine will become free and our people will be liberated.”

The orchestra was founded in 1918 and has become one of the most prominent orchestras in Eastern Europe.

Red Sox to star in Netflix documentary on the 2024 season

Wu kicks off Black History Month events celebrating ‘African Americans and the Arts’

New Panel + Picture event series hopes to make Boston a hub for comic arts

Following the Russian invasion in Ukraine, people from all walks of life are becoming part of the resistance. Ukrainians — orchestral members, poets, actors — have shifted from the life they knew before the war to join the effort, Vynnytsky and Khoma said.

On top of some of their fellow symphony members staying in the country to serve, Vynnytsky has a sister still living there who, at times, has to run to shelters for her own safety.

Another family member, his mother, passed away soon after the conflict broke out — “emotionally, she cannot exist anymore.”

During challenging times, music can be helpful, said Khoma — who has also served as a professor at Lviv Conservatory in Ukraine, Michigan State University and more.

“I think music has healing properties,” she said. “When you are sad, and you perform it, it calms you down. ... You communicate with people from all over the world without the words, and it’s very powerful.”

National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine  will be performing  at Mechanics Hall in Worcester on Friday, Feb. 9, starting at 8 p.m.

Explore Topics:

Kenny Chesney's special connection with Gillette Stadium

The enduring legacy of Miles Davis’ iconic album ‘Kind of Blue’

Indigo Girls discuss music and motherhood ahead of Tanglewood appearance

Legendary Boston music venue Great Scott will be back — and better

• EDITOR'S NOTES
• GETTING PERSONAL
• DOUBLE BASS
• CHAMBER MUSIC
• INTERPRETING
• OWNING THE STAGE
• SIGHTREADING
• SPECIFICALLY CELLO
• SPECIFICALLY DOUBLE BASS
• TEACHERS & SCHOOLS
• PROS AND CONS
• PREPARATION
• NEC MUSICAL STORYTELLING
• PARENT’S RESOURCES
• ON THIS DAY
• IN MEMORIAMS
• HISTORICAL CONTEXT
• AUDITION ADVICE
• ADMINISTRATIVE
• ORCHESTRAL MEMBERS
• CHAMBER ENSEMBLES
• BUILDING A CAREER
• GENERAL ADVICE
• CHOOSING REPERTOIRE
• TEACHING TECHNIQUE
• VENGEROV’S VIEWS
• NEW RECORDINGS
• INJURY PREVENTION
• MENTAL HEALTH
• OVERCOMING INJURY
• LATEST WORKS
• COMPOSING TODAY
• MAKING RECORDINGS
• ONLINE TEACHING
• BUYING & SELLING
• INSTRUMENT CARE
• STRINGTELLIGENCE BY THOMASTIK-INFELD
• LIVESTREAMS
• MOTIVATION MONDAY
• TECH TUESDAY
• WOMEN’S WEDNESDAY
• THROWBACK THURSDAY
• NEW TO YOUTUBE
• NEW UPLOADS
• PAGANINI POV
• ART OF ETUDE
• BLACK EXCELLENCE
• Hadelich at Home
• ARTS ENGINES
• CURATION WITH MASON
• VC ASK ME ANYTHING
• VC 20 QUESTIONS
• On a Personal Note
• J&A Beares’ Stories
• MAKING MENUHIN
• VANGUARD CONCERTS

VC LIVE | Meadowmount School of Music's 2024 Student Concerts

August 21, 2024 7:30 pm est, 00:00:00:00, vc live | cleveland international piano competition — final concerto round, august 9, 2024 7:30 pm est, vc live | kloster schöntal international violin competition 2024, august 22, 2024 11:45 am est, vc live | 2024 joachim international violin competition, september 16, 2024 11:00 am est, view all upcoming streams.

• Most Respected Classical Music Platform
• #classicalForever

German Record Critics’ Award Names 2024 Winners

Ukrainian freedom orchestra announces 2023 tour, defending ukraine’s artistic legacy on the cultural front, the orchestra returns to tour europe in august and september 2023.

Created in 2022 by its Canadian-Ukrainian music director and conductor, Keri-Lynn Wilson , the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra (UFO) comprises 74 musicians , including Ukraine war refugees, Ukrainian members of European orchestras, plus members of the Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, and Odessa Symphony Orchestras.

Following its acclaimed 2022 inaugural tour of the U.S. and Europe, UFO will regroup this August to perform at major European festivals and cities — continuing its demonstration of Ukrainian artistry as Ukraine fights for its freedom. 

The tour will begin with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in Warsaw’s Teatr Wielki with the chorus of the Polish Białystok Opera on August 20 , followed by an appearance at the Polish Baltic F. Chopin Philharmonic Hall on August 22.

A tour highlight includes a free outdoor concert on the grounds of Berlin’s Schönhausen Palace on August 24 — Ukrainian Independence Day.

UFO will also appear at Switzerland’s Lucerne Festival on August 27 , Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw on August 28 , Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie on August 30 , the UK’s Snape Maltings concert hall on September 2 , and London’s Barbican Centre on September 3 .

Ukrainian solo artists appearing across the tour will include violinist Valeriy Sokolov , and singers Olga Kulchynska , Nicole Chirka, Dmytro Popov , and Vladyslav Buialskyi .

The tour program includes Ukrainian composer Yevhen Stankovych ’s Violin Concerto No. 2, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, Verdi’s Overture to La Forza del Destino , and Myroslav Skoryk ’s Melody.

Supported by the patronage of Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska , UFO will regroup under the auspices of the Metropolitan Opera and Polish National Opera , in coordination with the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture .

Outside of Ukraine, UFO’s musicians also come from ensembles including the Tonkunstler Orchestra of Vienna, Belgian National Orchestra, and Staatskapelle Berlin. 

For this second tour, male members of the orchestra have received special permission from the Ukrainian government to serve their nation through their music and demonstrate the power of art over adversity.

Money raised from the tour will go toward supporting Ukrainian artists. Donations can be made to the Ministry of Culture here .

“The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra is the musical voice of Ukraine,” said Ukrainian First Lady, Zelenska . “Universal and understandable without translation, music is a language we can use to speak to the world,” she continued. 

“I invite you to attend the concerts of the UFO 2023 Summer Freedom Tour to hear the timeless message of liberty contained in the eternal classics of their program. Music will speak to silence aggression.”

“As Ukraine continues its brave fight on behalf of the free world, it needs our support now more than ever,” added Wilson. “And with this summer’s freedom tour of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, I’m proud to join the brave musicians of the Orchestra once again as we defend Ukraine’s cultural legacy. We will not rest until the war is won.”

From UFO’s 2022 tour, three of its 13 concerts were broadcast on television by the BBC from the Proms, Arte from Warsaw, and PBS from the Kennedy Center, while its concerts in France and Germany were broadcast on radio. The 2023 tour is being supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies and managed by the Polish National Opera in partnership with leading artist management agency, Askonas Holt .

classical music news

Win a GEWA Violin Space Bag in One of the Four Newly Released Colors

Gewa violin space bag now available in new colors.

Finalists Announced at Tibor Junior International Violin Competition

Tibor Junior International Violin Competition Names 2024 Semi Finalists 

LATEST PODCAST

Every voice with terrance mcknight — episode 4 "the magic flute: recycling".

German Violinist Eberhard Wangemann has Died, aged 104

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Managing Director Steps Down

Errollyn Wallen made Master of the King's Music in the UK

Curtis Appoints Four New Faculty Members for 2024–25

Composer Carlos Simon Releases “Four Symphonic Works”

Tibor Junior International Violin Competition Announces 2024 Winners

august 2024

22 aug All Day 01 sep Kloster Schöntal International Violin Competition (All Day) Schöntal Monastery , Klosterhof 6, 74214 Schöntal, Germany Event Type : competitions Event Tags Kloster Schöntal International Violin Competition FOLLOW

26 aug All Day 30 London Classic Violin Competition (All Day) Royal College of Music , Prince Consort Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 2BS, United Kingdom Event Type : competitions Event Tags Classic Violin Olympus International Competition, violin competition FOLLOW

30 aug All Day 01 sep Banff International String Quartet Festival (All Day) The Banff Centre , 107 Tunnel Mountain Drive Box 1020 Banff T1L 1H5 Canada Event Type : Other Event Tags Banff International String Quartet Festival, string quartet FOLLOW

september 2024

03 sep All Day 20 ARD International Music Competition - Wind Quintet, Voice, Oboe and Violoncello (All Day) Hochschule für Musik und Theater München , Arcisstraße 12, 80333 München, Germany Event Type : competitions Event Tags ARD International Music Competition Munich, cello, Oboe, Violoncello, Voice, Wind Quintet FOLLOW

09 sep All Day 12 Princess Astrid International Violin Competition (All Day) Olavshallen Concert Hall , Kjøpmannsgata 48, 7010 Trondheim, Norway Event Type : competitions Event Tags Princess Astrid International Violin Competition, violin competition FOLLOW

16 sep All Day 28 Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition Hannover (All Day) North German Radio Landesfunkhaus, Großer Sendesaal , Rudolf-von-Bennigsen-Ufer 22, 30169 Hannover Event Type : competitions Event Tags Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition Hannover, violin competition FOLLOW

20 sep All Day 03 oct Kronberg Academy Festival (All Day) Kronberg Academy , Beethovenpl. 1, 61476 Kronberg im Taunus, Germany Event Type : Other Event Tags Kronberg Academy FOLLOW

22 sep All Day 26 Tel Aviv Classic Violin Competition (All Day) Buchmann-Mehta School of Music , Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel Event Type : competitions Event Tags Classic Violin Olympus International Violin Competition FOLLOW

24 sep All Day 29 Trondheim International String Quartet Academy (All Day) Frimurerlogen i Trondhjem Selskapslokaler , Kongens gate 3, 7011 Trondheim, Norway Event Type : Other Event Tags Trondheim International Chamber Music Academy FOLLOW

27 sep All Day 29 Cremona Musica International Exhibitions and Festivals (All Day) Cremona Exhibition Centre , Piazza Zelioli Lanzini, 1 26100 Cremona, Italy Event Type : conferences & tradeshows Event Tags Cremona Musica International Exhibitions and Festivals FOLLOW

WHEN DO YOU PREFER YOUR ALERT?

(before live stream)

HOW DO YOU PREFER YOUR ALERT?

Get all our latest conveniently by email.

Our newsletter is trusted by over 100,000+ industry professionals around the world

We deliver news straight to your inbox and will never share your data. You'll never miss a beat!

Ukraine orchestra launches U.S. tour in Florida, including Fort Myers stop

Theodore Kuchar has learned to live with the bombs and the blackouts and the constant threat of death in Ukraine . But he says there’s one big difference between him and most other Ukrainians.

He can leave the country any time he wants.

Kuchar’s job as an orchestral conductor takes him all over the world, including his current tour with the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine . The acclaimed orchestra's tour launches this month in Florida, including a Jan. 16 stop in Fort Myers.

Orchestra members received special permission to leave Ukraine for the tour, Kuchar says. But otherwise, they stay in their home country with their families and their jobs — and the men are often called upon to fight against their Russian invaders, too.

“I don’t even want to compare my situation to the people I work with in the orchestra,” says Kuchar, who estimates he spends about three or four months a year at his Ukraine home. “They’re stuck there. Their families are there.

“Everybody has a story about someone who was killed. We have a bassoon player in the orchestra who wanted to go fight, the way many do. He lost both his arms. … It’s too terrible for words.”

Your guide to art festival season: All the biggest fests in Fort Myers, Naples

Dinosaur Falls Mini Golf: Dinos roar, volcano erupts at Cape Coral's new attraction

The war marches on in Ukraine, but the American-born Kuchar calls the orchestra’s 40-city U.S. tour a welcome break from the hardships there — for both himself and his musicians. It’s an escape from “the bombs and the rockets and everybody’s life feeling like it’s about to end in five minutes.”

“In Ukraine right now, we don’t have electricity,” Kuchar says. “Many places don’t have running water. You come home in darkness.

“Russia’s cutting everything off. Russia’s bombing the electrical infrastructures. They’re bombing the gas depots. It’s a terrible situation.

“And if nothing else, this American tour is some kind of return to normalcy.”

Kuchar — who was born in New York City to Ukrainian parents — says he’s bringing 66 members of his orchestra. He’d hoped to have about 85-90, he says, but inflation and increased travel costs made that impossible.

During its tour, the 121-year-old orchestra will perform about 15 classical works, including symphonies and concertos from Beethoven, Brahms, Grieg, Sibelius and three Ukrainian composers: Myroslav Skoryk, Yevhen Stankovych and Thomas de Hartmann.

Ukraine orchestra part of Fort Myers' Community Concert Series

The Fort Myers concert is the second show in the 2023 Community Concert Series at Mann Hall , which opens Sunday, Jan. 8, with the New York Philharmonic String Quartet (more details on the season below).

The Lviv orchestra has a sterling international reputation, including a recent series of acclaimed recordings, says Mary Lee Mann, president of concert series organizers the Community Concert Association .

“They’re a world-class symphony,” Mann says. “We don’t bring in anybody that’s not ( laughs ).”

The concert was already planned before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Mann says. But she worried the war would lead to the show being canceled.

Then she found out in March that the U.S. State Department was sponsoring the tour and it would indeed be happening. She broke the news at a Community Concert Series show, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.

“When I announced it that night, the audience broke into applause,” Mann says. “They were very supportive. …

“I think it shows our community’s — as well as our country’s — support for the indominable spirit of the Ukrainian peoples.”

The orchestra is based Lviv — pronounced you-VEEV — on the far western side of Ukraine. Since most of the bombs and battles are happening to the country’s east, Kuchar says, Lviv hasn’t seen as much warfare as other parts of the country.

“It’s as far west as you can go,” he says, “and it’s relatively safe compared to what is happening in the eastern half of Ukraine.”

Even so, the city only has power for a few hours a day, he says. And bombs still fall there. “It’s not as frequent, but it happens,” he says.

Kuchar sees the orchestra’s U.S. tour as having a double role: They’re sharing their music, but also serving as representatives from Ukraine and all it’s endured over the last year.

“We are coming, I believe, not only as cultural but as spiritual ambassadors of the Ukrainian nation,” he says. “We are presenting the Ukrainian mentality — and everything that America has been supportive of through our existence as a musical and cultural organization.”

Here’s more about the concert and the rest of the 2023 Community Concert Series:

New York Philharmonic String Quartet (Sunday, Jan. 8): The touring quartet features four principal musicians from the New York Philharmonic. They formed in 2017. They’ll be joined by acclaimed American pianist Drew Peterson, winner of the 2017 American Pianist Award.

The Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine (Monday, Jan. 16): The award-winning orchestra began in 1902 and frequently tours the world. It’s also known for its acclaimed recordings. The tour is sponsored by the U.S. State Department.

“A Celebration of Song – the Classics to Broadway” (Tuesday, Feb. 7): International soloists from four continents perform popular songs from grand opera, Broadway and pop with a live orchestra and an emcee. 

The English Chamber Orchestra (Thursday, March 9): The most-recorded chamber orchestra in the world. They’ve recorded many movie soundtracks, including scores for “Atonement,” “Pride and Prejudice” and several James Bond movies.

The Royal National Ballet: “Fire of Georgia” (Monday, March 27): The Republic of Georgia’s national ballet makes its American debut with this U.S. tour. They’ll perform dramatic folk dances — including stunts and acrobatics — with costumes and choreography.

All concerts start at 7:30 p.m. at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, 13350 FSW Parkway, south Fort Myers.

Single tickets are $25-$55. Season tickets are $65-$165 and will be available until Sunday, Jan. 8.

For single tickets, call 481-4849 or visit bbmannpah.com . For subscriptions, call 693-4849 or visit fortmyerscommunityconcerts.org .

Connect with this reporter:  Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. Email him at [email protected] or connect on Facebook ( facebook.com/charles.runnells.7 ), Twitter ( @charlesrunnells ) and Instagram ( @crunnells1 ). You can also call at 239-335-0368.

Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra at The Kennedy Center

Premieres Friday, Sept. 9, 2022 at 9 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 11 at 2 p.m. on KPBS 2 / PBS Video App

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts , the Metropolitan Opera and PBS present the the final performance of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra for broadcast. The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, gathered by the Met and the Polish National Opera , is comprised of recent Ukrainian refugees and other artists in a gesture of solidarity with the victims of the war in Ukraine. The orchestra embarked on a European and American tour on July 28 that culminated with a performance at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on August 20.

The broadcast version of the performance, "Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra at The Kennedy Center," will include behind-the-scenes footage from the tour.

The orchestra includes recent refugees; Ukrainian members of European orchestras, including the Tonkunstler Orchestra of Vienna , the Belgian National Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra ; and musicians from the Kyiv National Opera, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine , Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra and Kharkiv Opera, among other Ukrainian ensembles.

The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine is supporting the project by addressing the organizational issues of allowing male musicians to put down their weapons and take up their instruments in a remarkable demonstration of the power of art over adversity.

Under the leadership of Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson , the orchestra will perform a program that includes Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov’s Seventh Symphony; Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, with Ukrainian virtuoso Anna Fedorova ; and Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony.

Leading Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska will also perform Leonore’s great aria “Abscheulicher!” from Beethoven’s "Fidelio," a paean to humanity and peace in the face of violence and cruelty.

The assembling of orchestras in the face of violence and in the name of peace has a long tradition. The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra has its roots in an ensemble founded in Palestine by Bronisław Huberman in the 1930s to help rescue Jewish musicians in Europe from the Holocaust. The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, founded in 1999 by the conductor Daniel Barenboim and the Palestinian scholar Edward W. Said, brings together musicians from Israel and Arab nations. The Afghanistan National Institute of Music, long a target of the Taliban, had sent ensembles out into the world before the recent Taliban takeover of the country.

Watch On Your Schedule:

With the PBS Video App , you can watch your favorite and local station shows. Download it for free on your favorite device. The app allows you to catch up on recent episodes and discover award-winning shows.

The U.K. concert agency Askonas Holt , one of the world’s leading management agencies, organized the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra tour. The broadcast is executive produced by Deborah F. Rutter , Peter Gelb , Matthew Winer and Steve Holtzman. Kristin Fosdick directs with her team in the Kennedy Center’s multimedia department. Elizabeth O’Neil is associate director, content and strategy, for PBS.

“This remarkable ensemble is a testament to the power of artists and the arts to affect change and uplift the voices of those fighting for freedom. We are honored, as America’s national cultural center, to join with our friends at PBS and the Metropolitan Opera to bring this concert and the stories of these brave artists to the world,” said Deborah F. Rutter, president of the Kennedy Center.

"We’re extremely proud to share this powerful program with audiences across the country on broadcast and streaming platforms,” said Paula Kerger, CEO of PBS . "The arts are unmatched in their ability to bring people together and highlight our shared humanity, and I hope that by spotlighting the vibrancy and talent of these Ukrainian artists, we can enable a deeper understanding of the situation in Ukraine.”

« All Events

• This event has passed.

National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine

Friday, february 9, 2024 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm.

Adult: $45-$89 Student: $17.50 Youth (18 & under): $7.50

Buyers choose their own assigned seats for this presentation at Mechanics Hall.

PRE-CONCERT TALK Join us in Washburn Hall at 7:00 PM for a pre-concert talk from choral conductor Oleksandr “Alex” Kreshchuk , free and open to all ticket holders.

Music Worcester thanks the following supporters of this presentation:

The Inaugural Arthur M. & Martha R. Pappas Foundation Concert

Music Worcester welcomes the return of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine for its first post-pandemic performance in Worcester, following their last appearance in Music Worcester’s 2019-2020 Season at historic Mechanics Hall.

BEREZOVSKY Symphony No. 1 in C Major

SAINT-SAENS Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, op. 22

DVORAK Symphony No. 8, op. 88, B.163, G major

Volodymyr Sirenko, conductor Volodymyr Vynnytsky, piano soloist

Volodymyr Sirenko, artistic director & conductor

Born in the Poltava region of Ukraine, Volodymyr Sirenko has been compared by the international press to other brilliant conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen and Simon Rattle.        His conducting debut took place at the Kyiv Philharmonic Hall in 1983 with works by Stravinsky, Schoenberg and Boulez. In 1989 Sirenko graduated from the Kyiv Conservatoire where he studied conducting under Prof. Allin Vlasenko. In 1990, he was a finalist at the International Conducting Competition in Prague. A year later, he was appointed as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Ukrainian Radio Symphony Orchestra, a position which he held until 1999. During this period he made over 300 recordings that are kept in the funds of the Ukrainian Radio and include Mozart Symphonies Nos. 38 and 41, Beethoven Symphony No. 9, Brahms A German Requiem, Rachmaninov Bells, Dvorak Symphonies Nos. 7 and 9.        From 1999 he is the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. Highlights among hundreds of programmes that he has performed with the orchestra since then were cycles Gustav Mahler Complete Symphonies, Bach all four Passions and Mass in B Minor, Lyatoshynsky Complete Symphonies. He recorded over 50 compact discs and the CD of Silvestrov’s Requiem for Larissa was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2005. He premiered many works by Ukrainian composers including Silvestrov’s Symphonies No. 7 and 8, Stankovych’s Symphony No. 6.        Sirenko has toured Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, China, Korea, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.        He has worked with many international orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Moscow and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Sinfonia Warsovia, NOSPR (Katowice), the Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra, the Bratislava Radio Symphony, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the National Philharmonic of Russia, the Brooklyn Philharmonic. Sirenko has appeared in numerous concert halls around the world, including Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Brucknerhaus (Linz), Barbican Hall and Cadogan Hall (London), Theatre des Champs-Elysees and Opera Comique (Paris), Seoul Art Center, Palau de la Musica in Valencia and Centro Manuel de Falla in Granada, Filharmonia Narodowa (Warsaw), the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory and the Great Hall of St. Petersburg Philharmonia, the Roy Thomson Hall (Toronto), the Tokyo City Opera and the Osaka Symphony Hall, Beijing Concert Hall, Shanghai Oriental Center of Performing Arts.        Volodymyr Sirenko is a People’s Artist of Ukraine and laureate of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize, Ukraine’s most prestigious award. He is Professor of the opera and symphonic conducting at the National Music Academy of Ukraine. 

Volodymyr Vynnytsky, piano

Described by critics as possessing “incredible technique and deep musical understanding”, “The pianist is simply superb!”, “The phenomenon in concert is a rare one”, “Mystically powerful pianist”, “A grand display of skill and precision that was breathtaking”,   Volodymyr Vynnytsky   has performed in recital in such countries as USA, France, England, Denmark, Sweden, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa among many others.

Internationally renowned pianist Volodymyr Vynnytsky is laureate of the Margueritte Long-Jacques Thibaud International Piano Competition in Paris. Vynnytsky has performed with leading orchestras and appeared in solo recitals in many prestigious concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Steinway Hall, the Phillips Gallery in Washington D.C., the Great (Bolshoi) Hall at the Moscow Conservatory, Théatre des Champs-Elysées (Paris, France), Amphitheatre Richelieu de la Sorbonne, Salons de Boffrand de la Presidence du Senat in Paris, St. John’s Smith Square in London, Philharmonic Big Hall of Columns (Kyiv), Lviv Philharmonic Hall Odesa Philharmonic Theatre in Ukraine, Dunken Kulturhus (Helsingborg, Sweden), The Queen’s Hall (the Dronningesalen Auditorium, Copenhagen, Denmark), Salle de Concert Marie-Stephane (École de musique Vincent d’Indy, Montreal, Canada), Teatro de Santa Isabel in Recife (Brazil),  Linder Auditorium in Johannesburg and Baxter Theatre Centre Concert Hall in Cape Town (South Africa), Tsai Performance Center (Boston), Sacrest Auditorium (Zanesville OH), Hylton Performing Arts Center (George Mason University, VA), Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre (VA), Moss Arts Center (Virginia Tech University), Schar Center (Elon University, NC), State Theatre New Jersey (New Brunswick), Troy Savings Bank Music Hall (NY), Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State Eisenhower Auditorium (Pennsylvania State University), Millard Auditorium(University of Hartford, CT), Herbert Zipper Concert Hall (Los Angeles, CA), Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale (AZ), Hill Auditorium (UofM, Ann Arbor, MI), Carpenter Theatre Dominion Energy Center (Richmond, VA) among many others.

A popular television and radio guest, he has also been featured on NHK-TV (Japan) and in the United States on WQXR-FM in New York, and nationally on NPR.

Recital and chamber music appearances have included guest invitations in numerous International Festivals in Ukraine (Kyiv Music Fest, “Virtuosi”, “Contrasts”, “Bridge of Alexandre III”), France (Masters de Pontlevoy, “Les MusiCimes”, “DSCH”), Brazil  (“Virtuosi”), Curacao (Art in Avila), Canada (Niagara International Chamber Music Festival), Czech Republic (“American Spring” Festival) and USA (Artosphere Arts Festival, Chamber Players International, LWMF, Mohonk Festival of the Arts, Windham Chamber Music Festival, Southampton Festival of the Arts, Lake San Marcos Chamber Music Society, Music Mountain in Connecticut, Piccolo Spoleto in Charleston , Rachmaninoff International Festival in Los Angeles, “Music at the Institute” in New York and Art Center of Greene County.

Born in Lviv, Ukraine, Volodymyr Vynnytsky studied at the Lviv Music School for Gifted Children and later at the Moscow Conservatory. After earning his doctorate from the Moscow Conservatory under the direction of Yevgeny Malinin, he taught at the Kyiv Conservatory and concertized extensively throughout the world.

Volodymyr Vynnytsky has been a visiting member of the piano faculty in SUNY at Purchase, NY and at the University of Connecticut.

Volodymyr served as a Chairman of the Jury of the Emil Gilels International Piano Competition in Odesa, Ukraine.

Volodymyr Vynnytsky have made an extensive North American tour in February of 2020 as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, one of the finest Symphony Orchestras in Europe. This tour was managed by Columbia Artists, a legendary organization in the performing arts industry, a global leader in artist management.

Volodymyr Vynnytsky is an Honorary Professor of Lviv State Academy of Music, Odesa State Music Academy and Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine (Kyiv Conservatory). He is Director of Chamber Music at the College of Charleston, Charleston, SC and Music Director of the Music and Art Center of Greene County, New York.

Enjoy more videos of NSOU recordings and performances on YouTube:

• Google Calendar
• Outlook 365
• Outlook Live

Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra Formed Will Tour Europe and the U.S. This Summer

The tour runs July 28–August 20, including stops in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

In another gesture of solidarity with the victims of the war in Ukraine, the Metropolitan Opera and the Polish National Opera will gather leading Ukrainian musicians into the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra for a European and American tour July 28-August 20, including stops in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, before culminating with concerts in New York and Washington, DC. The tour has been assembled with the cooperation of Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Ministry of Culture.

The orchestra will include recent refugees, Ukrainian members of European orchestras, and some of the top musicians of Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and elsewhere in Ukraine. The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine is supporting the project by addressing the organizational issues of allowing male musicians to put down weapons and take up their instruments in a remarkable demonstration of the power of art over adversity.

Money raised from the tour will go to support Ukrainian artists. Donations can be made to the Ministry of Culture at https://donate.arts.gov.ua/en

Under the leadership of Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, the orchestra will perform a program that includes Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov's Seventh Symphony; Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2, with Ukrainian virtuoso Anna Fedorova; and either Brahms's Fourth Symphony or Dvořák's Ninth Symphony.

Leading Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska, who is singing the title role of Turandot at the Met this spring, will also perform Leonore's great aria "Abscheulicher!" from Beethoven's Fidelio, a paean to humanity and peace in the face of violence and cruelty.

The orchestra's musicians will gather in Warsaw on July 18 for an intensive rehearsal period led by Maestro Wilson to forge the ensemble, followed by the opening concert in the Polish capital at the Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera on July 28. The residency and opening performance are being paid for by generous funding from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, under the leadership of Minister Piotr Glinski. The tour will proceed with stops at the BBC Proms, on July 31, for a televised performance; Munich on August 1; the Chorégies d'Orange Festival in France on August 2; the Berlin Konzerthaus on August 4; the Edinburgh International Festival on August 6; Snape Maltings in England on August 8; the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Festival on August 11; and the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie on August 13. The orchestra will travel to New York on August 16, with concerts at Lincoln Center on August 18 and 19, followed by the final destination, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on August 20.

The musicians are drawn from the Kyiv National Opera, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra, and Kharkiv Opera, among other Ukrainian ensembles. Outside of Ukraine, players come from ensembles including the Tonkunstler Orchestra of Vienna, the Belgian National Orchestra, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

The Metropolitan Opera and the Polish National Opera have played leading roles in the cultural world in standing up to Russia's aggression in Ukraine and in expressing support for the war's victims. The Met was one of the first performing arts organizations to hold a benefit concert for Ukraine, conducted by its music director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, on March 14, drawing headlines worldwide. The Polish National Opera has been harboring refugees from Ukraine and presenting its own benefit concerts in support of its beleaguered neighbor.

In a joint statement, Peter Gelb, the Met's General Manager, and Waldemar Dabrowski, the director of the Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera, said, "Music can be a powerful weapon against oppression. This tour is meant to defend Ukrainian art and its brave artists as they fight for the freedom of their country."

Maestro Wilson, who grew up in Winnipeg, home of the largest concentration of Ukrainians in North America, originated the idea of forming the orchestra. "I wanted to bring the best orchestral musicians of Ukraine together, from both inside and outside of their country, in a proud display of artistic unity," she said. "I look forward to leading these gifted musicians across Europe and to the United States. This tour is an expression of love for their homeland and to honor those who have died and have suffered so much."

Ukraine's minister of culture, Oleksandr Tkachenko, expressed his appreciation to the Met and Polish Opera. "Today, culture is showing a completely new side. It can also be the 'soft power' that helps heal wounds. And not only in a figurative sense," he said. "This tour of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra can help not only to raise funds for supporting Ukrainian artists, it will show the world the diversity and uniqueness of Ukrainian music and Ukrainian performers." He added, "Ukrainian culture is original and deserves to be at the center of attention abroad. We thank our international colleagues for producing the tour."

The assembling of orchestras in the face of violence and in the name of peace has a long tradition. The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra has its roots in an ensemble founded in Palestine by Bronisław Huberman in the 1930s to help rescue Jewish musicians in Europe from the Holocaust. The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, founded in 1999 by the conductor Daniel Barenboim and the Palestinian scholar Edward W. Said, brings together musicians from Israel and Arab nations. The Afghanistan National Institute of Music, long a target of the Taliban, had sent ensembles out into the world before the recent Taliban takeover of the country.

The UK concert agency Askonas Holt, one of the world's leading management agencies, is organizing the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra tour. Productions Sarfati is coordinating the concert in France. Sponsors include Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Ford Foundation, and United Airlines. The Edinburgh International Festival performance is supported by the Scottish government. Presenter fees will also help pay for the tour.

Information about tickets will be announced later by individual presenters.

UKRAINIAN FREEDOM ORCHESTRA TOUR BIOGRAPHIES

Maestro Keri-Lynn Wilson's international career as a guest conductor spans more than 20 years, leading some of the world's most prestigious orchestras-such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks-and operas at the world's top opera houses, including Covent Garden, the Bavarian State Opera, Bolshoi Theatre, and the Vienna State Opera. Next season, Ms. Wilson will make her Metropolitan Opera debut, conducting Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, and will return to Covent Garden to conduct La Traviata. Ms. Wilson's work has been praised as "vividly shaped and nuanced" by The New York Times, and "elegantly incisive" by The Telegraph. Ms. Wilson received a nomination for conductor of the year from the Opus Klassik 2020 awards for her recording of Rossini's Sigismondo with the Bayerische Rundfunk.

Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska made her Metropolitan Opera debut singing the title role of Verdi's Aida in 2012, followed by the title role of Puccini's Tosca, Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, and Abigaille in Verdi's Nabucco. This season, she will sing the title role of Puccini's Turandot at the Met, Abigaille in Nabucco at Covent Garden, and the title role of Aida in Naples and Verona. Recent performance highlights include Aida, Elisabeth in Don Carlo, Tosca, and Abigaille at the National Opera of Ukraine; Lady Macbeth in Verdi's Macbeth at the Bavarian State Opera; Leonora in Il Trovatore at La Scala; Tosca in Rome and Barcelona; Abigaille at Deutsche Oper Berlin and in Hamburg; Leonora in La Forza del Destino at Deutsche Oper Berlin and Covent Garden; and Santuzza in concert with the NDR Radiophilharmonie.

Ukrainian pianist Anna Fedorova has performed with leading ensembles including the Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, Tokyo Symphony, Yomiuri Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Utah Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the Netherlands Philharmonic. In 2018, Ms. Fedorova signed with Channel Classics Records and released six albums, including Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra and the duo album Silhouettes with violist Dana Zemtsov. In March, she and Interartists Amsterdam organized a charity concert with members of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, cellist Maya Fridman, and percussionist Konstantyn Napolov, raising €111,000 in humanitarian aid for the victims of the war in Ukraine.

Dan Wakin [email protected]

Lee Abrahamian [email protected]

Michael San Gabino [email protected]

Renata Kapilevich [email protected]

Click here and enter the password MetOpera2020 for Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra press photos.

Classical Music SHOWS

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Critic’s Notebook

As War in Ukraine Persists, Where Is a Conductor’s Red Line?

Teodor Currentzis, whose MusicAeterna receives funding from a Russian state bank, has eluded censure at the prestigious Salzburg Festival.

By Joshua Barone

Reporting from Salzburg, Austria

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the classical music world’s reaction was swift . Artists with ties to President Vladimir V. Putin, or those who had publicly supported his war efforts, were dropped by orchestras and opera houses across the West.

One person who seemed to elude such punishment, though, was Teodor Currentzis, who is leading concerts and a production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” at the prestigious Salzburg Festival in Austria. More than two years into the war, his continued presence there is frustrating to many, raising uncomfortable questions about what is acceptable in service of music.

Currentzis, who was born in Greece, was given Russian citizenship by Putin’s government in 2014, the year Russia invaded the Crimean peninsula. Two decades ago, he founded MusicAeterna, a small musical empire that started as an orchestra and now includes a choir and dance company in St. Petersburg.

MusicAeterna doesn’t have any direct affiliation with Putin, but it came under scrutiny after the 2022 invasion because of support from the state-controlled VTB Bank (which has been penalized by the United States), as well as other government-related donors. Currentzis has been silent about the war, neither denouncing Russia nor supporting Ukraine.

And he has lost some work as a result. Earlier this year, the Wiener Festwochen in Austria canceled an appearance by him and the German SWR Symphony Orchestra after fierce criticism from the Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv, who appeared at the same festival with Ukrainian musicians.

Salzburg has stood by Currentzis but not by his Russian musicians. The “Don Giovanni” here is a revival of a production that originated in 2021, with him conducting. Then, the pit ensemble was MusicAeterna. Now it’s Utopia, the all-star group, in the spirit of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, that he started in 2022; pointedly, it is based in Western Europe.

Still, Currentzis is in a game of political Twister, stretching himself across the Russia-West divide as he builds Utopia with a foot in St. Petersburg, where he continues to lead MusicAeterna. Despite this, Markus Hinterhäuser, Salzburg’s artistic director, has repeatedly defended him in the press. Speaking with Bernhard Neuhoff of the local BR Klassik last year, he said that he had never heard Currentzis say anything in favor of Putin or the war.

But when pushed by Neuhoff, Hinterhäuser said he was actively thinking about where the “red line lies” with Currentzis, who has been a fixture at Salzburg since 2017. “I can only decide,” he added, “on a case-by-case basis.”

A new test arose a month ago, when Van Magazine reported that VTB Bank was planning to build a concert hall and complex for MusicAeterna in St. Petersburg. So far, according to Russian media , the project has gone only so far as a letter of intent.

Would building the MusicAeterna complex finally constitute a red line? And would it, in a roundabout way, represent a stance by Currentzis, who otherwise has remained silent?

For now, Salzburg is continuing its course. In July, Currentzis was back for rehearsals and the festival’s opening concert. The public has been encouraged by his defenders, at the festival and in the media, to glean his opinions from his music, which, at its best, is some of the finest and most fascinating in the industry. At “Don Giovanni” on Tuesday, his thoughts seemed more focused on Mozart than on the moral dilemmas of war.

This production, directed by Romeo Castellucci, is billed as new, though it is more like a revision of the 2021 staging. When I saw it then, I couldn’t stand it. Currentzis and Castellucci are strong-willed control freaks capable of greatness on their own and tasteless extravagance together . Three years ago, they put on a parade of vulgarity and self-indulgence, stretching the opera more than a half-hour beyond its usual running time.

On Tuesday, there were still flourishes from the original, like long pauses that had audience members sighing and gratuitous fortepiano continuo with interjections of dissonance. But the staging was shorter by 20 crucial minutes, and more intelligently focused. There was a clear visual vocabulary for each half, one for Don Giovanni’s crimes and another for his punishments. And Castellucci persuasively balanced the two moods of the opera as a “dramma giocoso”: a drama with jokes.

In the pit, the Utopia players and singers, handpicked from European ensembles, and also featuring about a dozen members of MusicAeterna, had an excellent blend of historical sound and modern idiosyncrasy. While conducting, Currentzis gestured as if his life depended on it. But he laid out a brilliantly argued vision for the score, of dramatically paced recitative and gracefully spun arias. It held your attention, regardless of whether you agreed with it.

As is often the case with Currentzis performances, though, it felt a little icky. The festival doesn’t seem entirely comfortable with him, either. In 2021, Currentzis discussed the opera at events and with journalists. This year, he is absent from public appearances; he also isn’t featured in the program book or a magazine for Salzburg’s supporters.

The festival continues to put itself in an awkward position by supporting Currentzis, but his position is also tricky. If he were to publicly denounce the war, he would salvage his career in the West. But to do so would also compromise MusicAeterna, the musical project that has become his life’s work.

What, though, will become of his life’s work if he continues to maneuver the politics of Russia and the West in service of his artistry above all? War is often a morality test, and Currentzis’s legacy will depend on the decisions he makes today.

Joshua Barone is the assistant classical music and dance editor on the Culture Desk and a contributing classical music critic. More about Joshua Barone

Arts and Culture Across Europe

The Pompidou Center is creating international outposts, including in Brussels and Seoul, to help fund a renovation of its Paris home. What happens now that Jersey City has pulled out?

In 2023, the British Museum said it had fired a curator for stealing from its supposedly lock-tight storerooms and selling the artifacts online. Ever since, the museum has struggled to deal with the fallout .

Francesca Moody, a British theater producer, has put on some of the Edinburgh Fringe’s biggest breakout hits, including “Baby Reindeer” and “Fleabag.” This year, she has three shows that she’s hoping will go global .

In the abandoned industrial sites that serve as the venues for the Ruhrtriennale, one of Germany’s major arts festivals, our critic witnessed beauty struggling to be born : fitfully, clumsily and sometimes stunningly.

With an opera at the Salzburg Festival and recordings on Deutsche Grammophon, the music of Mieczyslaw Weinberg may be taking root. Has his time finally come ?