On Dec. 4, Choral groups from Ukraine and North America took part in the Notes from Ukraine concert. The Ukrainian “Shchedryk” by Mykola Leontovych was heard at Carnegie Hall in New York.

“Directed by renowned composer and conductor Oleksandr Koshyts, the Ukrainian Republic Capella shared Ukraine’s unique choral tradition by way of promoting the country’s sovereignty and distinctiveness from “the Russian world,” reports the event`s official website.

Choral groups from Ukraine and North America took part in the Notes from Ukraine concert, including the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka, the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus of North America, the Ukrainian Children’s Choir Schedryk, and the Choir of Trinity Wall Street. The event was co-hosted by the Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese and Ukrainian-American actress Vera Farmiga

“This momentous performance marks the first time North American audiences heard Mykola Leontovych’s “Shchedryk”, a New Year’s song that would become the beloved Christmas classic, “Carol of the Bells.” 

“In 1919, the Ukrainian Republic Capella, the national choir of the newly independent Ukrainian National Republic” performed throughout the United States, “but it was Carnegie Hall where the mesmerizing melody first reached American audiences.”

The program included works by Mykola Leontovych, Valentyn Sylvestrov, Eric Whitacre, Victoria Poleva, and Leonard Bernstein, and a world premiere by Trevor Weston, setting the words of Nobel Prize-nominated Kharkiv poet, Serhii Zhadan.

The event was charitable, as the “proceeds from the concert will be donated to United 24, a global non-governmental organization and crowdfunding platform launched by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in May 2022.”

Meanwhile, Kharkiv Academic Puppet Theater named after V. A. Afanasyev is collecting funds for restoration after the Russian attack as part of the Save Ukrainian Culture project.