On 29 June, it will be eight years since a sniper’s bullet took the life of Vasyl Slipak, a prominent Ukrainian opera singer, soloist of the Paris National Opera, volunteer, combatant in eastern Ukraine and Hero of Ukraine. To honour Vasyl, musicians from across Europe will join the Eighth Open International Music Marathon in memory of the opera singer.
In 2017, the Vasyl Slipak Marathon was launched, which is symbolically held every year in the last days of June. It brings together musicians from many countries, and marathon events take place in different parts of the world. The marathon is organised by the Myroslav Skoryk Lviv National Philharmonic in partnership with the Vasyl Slipak Foundation.
This year, the marathon will take place from 2 June to 25 July under the slogan “To the artists who fell for Ukraine”. The Hero Singer will be remembered in Ukraine, Spain, France, Germany and the UK.
This year, for the first time, Ukrainian opera houses, including deceased ballet dancers, are joining the marathon. The concerts will take place in Kyiv (National Philharmonic and National Opera), Odesa (Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre), Dnipro (Dnipro Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre) and Lviv (Lviv National Philharmonic and Lviv National Opera).
Calendar of events
- 2 June
La Seu d’Urgell (Catalonia, Spain)
Prelude concert
- Mikhail Spivak, violin
- Andriy Viytovych, viola
- Vladyslav Trukhan, cello
- Kadi Chamber Orchestra
- Yevhen Sohatsky, conductor
The programme includes works by Ludwig van Beethoven and Julius Roentgen
- 14 June
London (UK). Ukrainian Club
“Sounds of Truth”: a concert of chamber music
- Yulia Shpig, soprano
- Irina Zhitinskaya, mezzo-soprano
- Olga Paliy, piano
- Taras Zhytynskyi, guitar, singing
- 22 June
Kyiv (Ukraine). National Philharmonic of Ukraine
“Ukraine – France: musical intertwining”
- Maria Kononova, soprano
- Olena Stepaniuk, piano
The programme includes works by Dmytro Bortnyansky, Charles Gounod, Jules Massenet, Leo Delibes, Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Frédéric Chopin, Camille Saint-Saëns, Mykola Lysenko, Nestor Nyzhankivsky, Viktor Kosenko, Borys Liatoshynsky, Myroslav Skoryk, Oleksandr Kozarenko, Lesia Dychko
- 22 June
Kyiv (Ukraine). National Philharmonic of Ukraine
“Chords of Khortytsia”: a concert of instrumental and choral music
- Bohdana Pivnenko, violin
- Igor Chernyavsky, violin
- Anna Khmara, piano
- National Ensemble of Soloists “Kyiv Camerata”
- Winners of the International Competition-Festival of Children and Youth Performing Arts “Chords of Khortytsia” (Zaporizhzhia)
- 28 June
Odesa (Ukraine). Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre
“VLASNE. Ukraine Project: from Bortnyansky to Vakarchuk”
An author’s project of the Odesa Opera performed by leading soloists, the orchestra and choir of the theatre, and the children’s choir “Pearls of Odesa”
- 28 June
Lviv (Ukraine). Lviv National Philharmonic
Baroque l’immortelle
- Terra Barocca, an ancient music ensemble:
- Serhiy Havryliuk, baroque violin, viola
- Mikhail Solonchenko, violin
- Yaroslav Myhal, cello
- Anna Ivanyushenko, harpsichord
The programme includes works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Stanislav Sylvester Shazinsky, Johann Jakob Froberger, Henry Purcell, Claude Balbatre, Jean-Feric Rebel, Pancras Royer and Antonio Vivaldi
- 29 June
Lviv (Ukraine). Lviv National Philharmonic
Prayer for Vasyl
- The Phoenix String Quartet:
- Mykola Haviuk, violin
- Petro Tityaev, violin
- Vadym Pedorich, viola
- Denys Lytvynenko, cello
- Violina Petrychenko, piano
The programme includes works by Hanna Havrylets, Mykola Lysenko, Myroslav Skoryk, Vasyl Barvinsky and Borys Liatoshynsky.
- 29 June
Lviv (Ukraine). Lviv National Philharmonic
A dialogue of our time
- Etc.duo ensemble:
- Natalia Kozhushko-Maksymiv, flute
- Roksolana Kit, piano
The programme includes works by Mykola Lysenko, Yevhen Stankovych, Anton Rudnytskyi, Hanna Havrylets, Viktor Kaminskyi and Yuriy Ishchenko
- 30 June
Lviv (Ukraine). Lviv National Philharmonic
“I’m not afraid of anything”
- Lilia Nikitchuk, mezzo-soprano
- Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Lviv National Philharmonic
- Marta Kliuchynska, conductor
The programme includes works by Ludwig van Beethoven and Henryk Hurecki
- 30 June
Lviv (Ukraine). Lviv National Philharmonic
From France with love
- Catherine de Labome, soprano
- Oksana Rapita, piano
- Miroslav Dragan, piano
The programme includes works by Maurice Ravel, Francis Poulenc, Georges Bizet, Reinaldo Gan, Pauline Viardot, Hector Berlioz and Leo Delibes
- 30 June
Kyiv (Ukraine). National Opera of Ukraine
Semyon Hulak-Artemovsky’s opera The Cossack Beyond the Danube
- 30 June
Dnipro (Ukraine). Dnipro Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre
Gala concert with the orchestra, choir and soloists of the theatre
- 4 July
Paris (France). Vasyl Slipak Ukrainian Cultural Centre
Dedication Concert-hommage à Wassyl Slipak
- 5 July
Lviv (Ukraine). Lviv National Opera
Francis Poulenc. Opera “Dialogues of the Carmelites”
- 5 July
Tolstefanz (Germany)
Chamber music concert
- Nicholas Isherwood, baritone bass
- Veronique Ngo Zah-Gyen, piano
On the programme: Franz Schubert. Vocal cycle “The Winter’s Journey”
- 25 July
Hamburg (Germany)
Postlude concert “Musical dialogue: Ukraine-Germany”
- Sergey Kovalev, piano
- Oleg Kitskai, violin
The programme includes works by Johannes Brahms, Mykola Lysenko, Yuliy Meytus, and Miroslav Skoryk.