'By showcasing this rich Ukrainian culture, we are giving Ukrainian people voice, support and hope'
Solomiya Ivakhiv, associate professor of violin and viola and coordinator of strings, and Dmitry Glivinskiy, assistant professor-in-residence, perform "American Rhapsody (Romance for Violin and Piano)" during the inauguration of UConn President Radenka Maric in the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on Sept. 29, 2023. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)
The Lenard Chamber Music Series of Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts will present a special program, "With Ukraine in Our Hearts," led by Solomiya Ivakhiv, head of the strings section of UConn's Department of Music in the School of Fine Arts, on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 pm.
Professor Ivakhiv, who Fanfare Magazine has described as "one of the major artists of our time," will perform with long-time collaborators cellist Darrett Adkins, who serves on the faculty of the Juilliard School, and pianist Melvin Chen, who serves as director of the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and the Yale Summer School of Music.
She has made solo appearances with major orchestras in the United States, China, Turkey, and Ukraine, and has performed at world-renowned venues including Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, CBC Glenn Gould Studio, Philharmonic Hall in Kyiv, and the Concertgebouw. Her most recent recording, "Ukrainian Masters," was released earlier this year by Naxos, the leading classical music label.
The concert will be an evening rich with Ukrainian history and culture feature compositions by icons of Ukrainian music - Vasyl Barvinsky, Mykola Lysenko, Yakiv Stepovy and Fedir Yakymenko - whose works include symphonies, solo piano and choral music, sonatas and operas.
The performance will also include works by three contemporary composers: Bohdana Froliak, Catherine Likhuta, and Yevhen Stankovych, whose music ranges from strings, choir, orchestra, chamber ensemble, stage and brass quintets.
"This program is very special, because I'm playing with very dear colleagues and music that I love," says Professor Ivakhiv. "By showcasing this rich Ukrainian culture, we are giving Ukrainian people voice, support and hope that good prevails. We strive to bring more awareness to the Ukrainian music that was developing alongside western music despite the oppressions from the neighboring country."
The music of Ukraine has been part of Jorgensen Center season previously. In 2019, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine performed in Storrs as part of its Jubilee 100th Concert season, which included Ivakhiv as a soloist.
"I'm among the arts presenters who feel really strongly that you should be supporting Ukrainian artists, and by extension, support keeping the plight of the of the Ukrainian people in the forefront of everyone's mind," says Jorgensen Director Rodney Rock.
Solomiya Ivakhiv spoke with WHUS on the Good Music show (Wednesdays from 3;00 to 5:30 p.m.) about her longtime efforts to promote music from Ukraine.
