UK-Ukraine Cultural Bridge
Anna's Voice Newsletter
Baroque music in Ukraine had been pretty much non-existent until a few years ago, when the first Baroque instruments – which you could count on one hand – began to appear, albeit scarcely, in modern Ukraine. The musicians who started playing them became the pioneers of the Baroque movement in the country. Still, the historical performance tradition remains in its infancy.
Since the time I was first introduced to Baroque music, when I left Ukraine for the UK - quite a few years ago - to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and later had the privilege of winning the International Handel Singing Competition in London, I have fallen in love with Baroque music and carried a dream very close to my heart: helping Ukraine’s Early Music scene to thrive.
And now, I have the most exciting news to share with you!
This coming November, I will have the honour of performing at the Lviv National Philharmonic. But this is not the best part!
After some complex discussions – after all, even though it pains me to say this, Ukraine is a war zone – between my nonprofit Music Will Save The World and some of the most experienced British Baroque specialists, represented in this process by John McMunn (CEO of the Academy of Ancient Music), I am thrilled to announce that we are now preparing this British Baroque delegation to travel with me in November to perform together with Ukrainian musicians at the Philharmonic for the Lviv Early Music Festival.
I am especially grateful to John, who went above and beyond to bring the musicians together. Since we embarked on this endeavour only last month, we had just two months to make it happen. Musicians of this calibre usually have their diaries booked years in advance, so finding a window in their schedules was a miracle!
Lviv National Philharmonic Hall named after Myroslav Skoryk
To understand the situation better, it’s important to mention that in Lviv – my native city with over a million citizens and one of the most prominent cities in Ukraine – there are currently only a few Baroque instruments: two harpsichords, one violin, and a viola da gamba. The latter two only arrived in Ukraine last month (September 2025).
Musicians who are trained on modern instruments are doing their best to learn these wonderful Baroque instruments by watching Baroque players on YouTube and reading books on historical performance practice. Women players – as men are not allowed to leave the country due to the war – attend masterclasses abroad to deepen their understanding of the style. But the main issue we are teaming up to address is the timid state of Baroque culture within Ukraine. These inspiring musicians are pioneers in these efforts, doing it purely out of love for the style and a desire to find a way to progress in their Baroque musicianship despite the brutal reality they face every day.
It is my pleasure to introduce the core Baroque musicians in Lviv:
Hanna Ivaniushenko - Harpsichord
Serhiy Havrylyuk - Violin/Viola
These two musicians, in particular, are leading the effort forward within the Lviv Baroque scene, occasionally collaborating with Kyiv Baroque musicians (also only a handful of players).
I invite you to watch a concert that Hanna and Serhiy led last year as part of the annual Lviv Early Music Festival.
I’d like to express my gratitude to Volodymyr Syvokhip – until recently the General Director of the Lviv National Philharmonic, now Music Projects Director of the Philharmonic Hall, Artistic Director of the Lviv Early Music Festival, and conductor – for inviting me to perform at this wonderful venue. I am also very grateful to the newly appointed General Director, solo violinist, and conductor Ihor Muraviov, for supporting this exciting international project. Lvivians are fortunate to have such artistic leaders whose values are rooted in bringing meaningful projects to the City of Lions.
It’s my pleasure to share with my readers two videos: one featuring Volodymyr Syvokhip conducting the National Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of the famous Melody by the renowned Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk, after whom the Philharmonic is named, and another of Ihor Muraviov leading the Quattro Corde String Ensemble.
It means a lot to me – as a Ukrainian-British artist – to act as the link between my Ukrainian and British colleagues, and with their help to nurture the beginning of something truly meaningful. I am deeply grateful to the British musicians for finding the time and showing such courage and solidarity with Ukrainians by embarking on this wonderfully exciting and creative adventure. Their sharing of world-class professional experience and knowledge will be immensely beneficial to the Baroque movement in Ukraine. And I strongly believe that music, especially in its most organic form, has the power to save the world by uniting us.
I’m sure you can sense how overjoyed and excited I am to see the foundation being laid for this very special and, hopefully, long-lasting cultural bridge between the United Kingdom and Ukraine. And THIS is only the beginning!
Before now and the 22nd of November – the day of the concert – there is still a lot of preparation and logistics that need to be taken care of. Putting such a complex event together in under two months is definitely a challenge. I will keep updating you on this project’s progress, and in the meantime, I’d love to share with you the programme “Women and Men of Baroque”, which we are bringing to Lviv. It includes music by Monteverdi, whose works are extremely rarely – if ever – performed in Ukraine.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this newsletter!
With my very best wishes,
Anna
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