As the world marks 1,000 days since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Philadelphia-based Prometheus Ukrainian Male Chorus brings its voices to Wilmington Sunday.
The chorus’s president, Andrew Leskiw, says the program will shine a spotlight on Ukrainian patriotic music, a rich tradition in the beleaguered country.
“The name of the concert is ‘For Ukraine,’" Leskiw said. "A lot of the songs deal with the various different battles and fights that the Ukrainians have had for decades over what's unfortunately a very sad history for us.”
The performance also features folks songs and romances, as well as a special guest, Ukrainian-American soprano Teryn Kuzma. Kuzma will also perform on the bandera, a Ukrainian instrument with more than 60 strings.
As the conflict in Ukraine rages on, Leskiw says it is very much in the minds of the singers, and concerts like this serve a purpose.
“To spread awareness of who we are, who Ukraine is and to spread our culture, and it's a small piece of - or a small way we can help Ukraine at this time," he said.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine just over 1,000 days ago, the group has seen renewed interest in their performances, and in some ways, the music has become more personal to the singers.
"So the concert itself, as we named it 'For Ukraine,' there is actually a song called 'For Ukraine,' and that's going to be like the finale piece," Leskiw said. "It's a song that I learned when I was in like first grade in Ukrainian school - in Saturday school. So it's a piece that kind of brought me full circle because now I realize I'm now singing about fighting for Ukraine, then, when I learned that Ukraine had just become independent.“
Founded in 1962, the Prometheus Ukrainian Male Chorus has performed around the world for more than five decades. Sunday’s concert is at the Opera Delaware studios at 2:00 pm.
Delaware Public Media's arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
