The Ukrainian Music Initiative Presents: Introductions. A musical celebration of Ukraine’s vibrant classical music tradition!

This is a not to be missed Ukrainian musical event in its first Boston-area performance!

The Ukrainian Music Initiative (UMI) was launched this past February to a standing room only audience at the historic Shevchenko Scientific Society in NYC. The exciting musical program is centered around two of UMI’s guiding principles: the sounding of Ukrainian voices and the interpersonal connections that music can build.

The live concert will include classic and contemporary songs by Ihor Sonevytsky, Yakiv Stepovy, Kryrylo Stestenko, and Stefania Turkewich, their settings of texts by Ivan Franko, Oleksandr Oles’, Lesia Ukrainka, Mykola Voron, and Vira Vovk.

The program will also include piano and cello pieces by Mykola Lysenko, Valentyn Silvestrov and Andrii Didorenko, a solo piano piece by Serhiy Bortkiewicz and Olga Zaitseva-Herz’s setting of Taras Shevchenko for voice, cello and piano.

Concert attendees will experience the wonder that is Ukrainian classical music!

About UMI (www.ukrainianmusicinitiative.org)
UMI, a new musical celebration, was created to elevate Ukrainian classical music to its rightful place in the Western canon and to fill a significant gap in the US’ cultural landscape. This is being accomplished by having skilled and knowledgeable musicians of Ukrainian heritage perform Ukrainian music in accessible venues on a regular basis.
A collaboration of three independent artists, UMI consists of NYC-based contralto Vira Slywotzky, cellist Valeriya Sholokhova, and pianist Pavlo Gintov. All of whom have a longstanding history of commitment to Ukrainian music and are sought after performers. Joining them in their mission are musicologist Leah Batstone and entrepreneur Alex Gamota. An educational series is also being developed.

UMI is presented by Vira + Friends, a non-profit corporation under the auspices of the Ukrainian American Educational Center of Boston, a 501(c)(3).