In October 2026, there are plans to stage the Japanese Android Opera “Maria” in Lviv — a futuristic opera in which the leading role is performed by an android. If the project can be realised, the city may become the first in Ukraine to host this production.
The possibility of bringing Android Opera “Maria” to Lviv was discussed during a press conference in Tokyo attended by the director of the Institute of Cultural Strategy, Yuliia Khomchyn, and the Institute’s art director, Bohdan Shumylovych. It was their trip to Japan and negotiations with the project’s author, Japanese composer Keiichiro Shibuya, that opened up the opportunity for a Lviv production.
Android Opera “Maria” combines orchestra, electronic music, piano, visual art and shōmyō Buddhist chanting — a tradition more than 1,200 years old. At its centre is the figure of the android Maria, created in the image of the composer’s late wife, who was of Ukrainian-Jewish descent. Through technology and music, the project addresses themes of memory, loss and the coexistence of humans and technology.
According to the Institute of Cultural Strategy, the idea of bringing Android Opera to Lviv emerged while the city was preparing its bid for the “European Capital of Culture 2030” competition. The project became one of the key elements of the “Responsibility to Be” concept, which concerns new ways of living through loss by means of art and technology.
The visit of the Ukrainian delegation to Japan took place at the invitation of the company ATAK with the support of the international organisation EU-Japan Fest, which has been fostering cultural cooperation between Europe and Japan for more than 30 years. Android Opera “Maria” has already been presented in Japan, Germany, France, Sharjah and Dubai, and it is now planned to introduce it to Ukrainian audiences in Lviv.
Lviv became the first Ukrainian city to take part in the European Union’s “European Capital of Culture 2030” competition. Although the title was awarded to the Montenegrin city of Nikšić, Lviv continues to implement the projects developed for the competition. The programme covers the development of human capital and education, the preservation of heritage and memory, the strengthening of cultural diplomacy and the affirmation of culture as a factor in national security.
Planned initiatives include the creation of new cultural spaces, in particular a House of Literature and a Residency Hub, as well as the development of innovative art. In this context, a Futurological Congress is envisaged, along with a production of the unique Android Opera “Maria”, which brings together technology, music and contemporary artistic practices.
An important part of the programme is the use of culture as a tool of support: there are plans to launch projects at the intersection of art and mental health for veterans and civilians who have lived through the war. A separate strand focuses on work with memory and historical heritage — the “Streets of Names” initiative and exhibition projects designed to reinterpret and preserve Lviv’s cultural identity.