'Ukrainian Art Songs: A Testament to Perseverance' | Muzyka 2026

Ukrainian art songs — long suppressed by Russia — are a testament to resilience. Meet the composers who kept Ukraine's voice alive.

Musicologist Wasyl Sydorenko wrote that “in every country, the art song reflects the language, poetry, and culture of the people; It is an expression of ethnic identity and national pride.” Although a monumental number of Ukrainian art songs were composed to serve this exact mission, they remain highly underrepresented after a history of Russian suppression; Ukrainian art songs have always stood as a tenacious form of resilience against these attacks on Ukraine and its culture. With Russia’s current full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s identity is again under attack, making it imperative to defy the propaganda that “Ukraine does not possess an individual, classical, and sophisticated culture.” This presentation will introduce some the chief composers of Ukrainian art song repertoire and demonstrate how their work at the cultural frontlines is an unyielding testament to resistance and perseverance through art.

Lecturer

Andrew Skitko

Andrew Skitko enjoys singing & teaching a broad range of musical genres. A graduate of Westminster Choir College, he joined his colleagues in performances with the world’s leading orchestras & conductors on stages such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and currently sings with the Opera Philadelphia Chorus and The Philadelphia Symphonic Choir. He is an active member of The Ukrainian Art Song Project, which promotes Ukrainian classical music with an international cast of artists, and was a founding member of The Ukrainian Art Song Summer Institute, which is held at both The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada, and (before the war) at The L’viv National Opera Theater in Ukraine.