Events | Speakers | Music | Exhibits
"Duo Rudenko" Performs in Ukraine
On April 3 and April 4, Ruth and Daniel Koppelman, Fulbright Scholars from the Music Department of Furman University in Greenville, SC, held master classes and concerts for music students and lovers in Kyiv. The duo uses piano and electronics to push the boundaries of contemporary music, pulling from classical, jazz and electroacoustic traditions. Their concerts featured the works of great American composers Gershwin, Ives, Armstrong, Ellington and others. They also incorporated two Ukrainian composers into the program, Tsepkolenko and Homelska.
American Music Professors Teach Jazz Rhythm and Voice in Kyiv, Ukraine:
From September 17-24, three American musicians and educators -- drummer Kim Plainfield of Berkley School of Music, saxophone player Steve Slagle of Manhattan School of Music and singer and trombone player Frank Lacey -- led an intensive jazz rhythm course for Ukrainian music students in Kyiv. Three groups of young Ukrainian singers and instrumentalists participated in the intensive week-long course. On September 24, the students demonstrated their achievements at a large concert at the Kyiv Musical Academy before an enthusiastic audience that included Ambassador Taylor.
American Music Fills the Central Concert Hall in Yalta:
On July 6, 2006, the Symphony Orchestra of the Crimean Philharmonic, with the support of the U.S. Embassy, featured performances of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” a suite from “Porgy and Bess,” dances from “West Side Story,” and Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.”
U.S. Musicians Light Up Lviv Jazz Festival
American guitarist John McLeane and Polish-American singer Grazyna Auguscik took the
stage on December 10 during the fifth international "Jazz Bez..." festival in Lviv.
Considered the most important jazz event in Western Ukraine, the festival brought
together musicians from Ukraine, Poland, the U.S., the Czech Republic and Russia for
five days of concerts sponsored by Public Affairs Kyiv, the Polish and Czech embassies,
and local governments and businesses. More than 300 crowded in to the auditorium to
hear Auguscik and McLeane perform with the famous Krakow Klezmer Band.
New Orleans Jazz Musicians Thank
the People of Ukraine
The Embassy of the United States of America in Ukraine was pleased to present a concert
by the Marlon Jordan Quartet Featuring Stephanie Jordan on Sunday, November 13 as a way
of expressing its appreciation for the generous donations to the victims of Hurricane
Katrina and the many expressions of concern and sympathy offered by Ukrainians.
All of the musicians who performed had ties to the city of New Orleans and a couple had
lost their homes in the flood, but all were moved by the warm welcome they received from
their many new fans in Kyiv.
Cross-Cultural Turandot in Kyiv
On Friday, September 30, American conductor Keri-Lyn Wilson led a Ukrainian cast in a
spectacular production of Puccini's Turandot at the Kyiv Opera House. The production,
which featured artistic design by a visiting Italian expert, received a standing
ovation and several minutes of curtain calls. Ms. Lynn's visit was sponsored in part
by the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. At the post-performance reception, Ms. Wilson, who has
conducted at the leading symphonies and operas in the U.S. and Europe, said she was
sure this would be her most memorable Turandot ever.
New York Vocalist Performs to Packed Hall in Vinnytsya, Ukraine
For the first time in its 10-year history, Vinnytsia's "International Jazz
Days" festival, held September 9-11, featured an American musician. Ukrainians
packed the 800-seat concert hall to hear New York-based vocalist J.D. Walter, and
rewarded his performance with a standing ovation.
Kyiv Marks September 11 Anniversary With Memorial Concert
The elegant Kyiv Philharmonic Hall was host to a moving concert of music in honor of
the victims of terrorism worldwide performed by the 80 singers and musicians of the
Liatyshynsky Ensemble. Four pieces were written specifically in honor of September 11:
Igor Shcherbakov's "Warum?," Kevin Malone's "Eighteen Minutes," Rene Clausen's
"Memorial," and Iryna Kyrylina's "Prayer." They were complimented by a rendition of
"Pie Jesu" from Andrew Lloyd Weber's "Requiem." The concert was co-sponsored by the
Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the U.S. Embassy. Ukraine's Foreign Minister
shared his personal remembrances of 9/11 in his remarks to the audience. The
Ambassador noted that the occasion commemorated all of the victims of terrorism in
recent years and recognized Ukraine's contribution to fighting terrorism.
Results: The presence of a high level Ukrainian official underscored U.S.-Ukraine
joint commitment to combating terrorism. Three TV stations covered the event, reaching
a national audience in Ukraine.
USG-Supported Conducting Competition Completes Fifth Successful Year in Ukraine
The Vakhtang Jordania International Conducting Competition, held in Kharkiv, Ukraine
between August 28 - September 4, attracted 28 competitors from 19 countries in Europe,
Asia and North America. In the five years of its existence, the competition has
become a major forum for promising young conductors who have gone on to lead some of
the most well-known orchestras in the world. The competition is named for Vakhtang
Jordania - a formerly celebrated conductor in the Soviet Union who later became an
American citizen and led orchestras in the U.S. PAS Kyiv has provided both financial
and practical support for the event for several years. In this year's finals, local
Kharkiv dignitaries and an embassy representative spoke before the grand prizes were
awarded to three competitors from Armenia, Italy and the U.S.
Ukrainian Festival Spotlights Jewish Folk Music
About 700 people attended the August 25 closing concert of "KlezFest 2005",
Kyiv's sixth annual festival and seminar dedicated to klezmer music. The event
celebrating Jewish folk music, held from August 21-25, drew more than 70 musicians from
Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Switzerland, Great Britain, Germany and elsewhere.
Highlighting the agenda were lectures and master classes by American guests Joshua
Horowitz, the well known music theorist who leads the ensemble "Budowitz", and Lorin
Schlumberg, founder of the New York based "Klezmatics".
Open Land Music Project Concert Series Ends with a Bang
On Thursday, April 21, the Culture and Arts Center of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy hosted a
performance the internationally renowned Ukrainian a capella group ManSound. About
700 students and music lovers turned out to hear the six-man group's concert of
American jazz standards, gospel and popular songs. ManSound's performance was the
fourth and last concert in a very successful music series supported by PAS/Kyiv in
which Ukrainian musicians were invited to perform their favorite American music. The
series featured two concerts of instrumental jazz and two song programs by the
well-known Ukrainians jazz groups "Skhid-Side", "Night Groove" and "ManSound". The
idea for the series was conceived by two International Visitor Leadership Program
alumni, the well-known radio journalist and concert presenter Oleksiy Kogan and the
Editor-in-Chief of NOTA musical magazine, Vyacheslav Krishtofovich.
Harry Waters Trombone Performance
Harry Watters is a New Orleans trombonist whose recordings include The Island of Dr.
Trombone, Centaur Records' S'Wonderful: The Music of George Gershwin with arranger and
conductor William Grimes, and Summit Records' Brothers, Brothers II & Brothers III with
trumpeter Ken Watters. Watters has performed with Al Hirt, Pete Fountain, Erich Kunzel,
Shirley Jones, Peter Nero, Kevin Mahogany, Wycliffe Gordon, Joe Piscopo, Maureen
McGovern, Bill Watrous, Carl Fontana, Jiggs Whiggam, Tom "Bones Malone" & James Moody,
visited Ukraine for performances in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa, and Lviv in October 2004.
Jazz Ambassadors
The Jazz Ambassadors Program, co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, sends selected professional American jazz musicians on concert tours in countries where there is limited exposure to American culture. The Kennedy Center organizes auditions at which professional musicians serve as panelists. Successful applicants must demonstrate the highest artistic and musical ability as well as be conversant with broader aspects of contemporary American society and culture. They must be adaptable to rigorous tour schedules through regions where travel and performance conditions may be difficult. Tours include workshops and master classes in addition to concerts.
Public Affairs Section (PAS)
Counselor for Public Affairs: Christopher Fitzgerald
Cultural Affairs Officer: Susan Cleary
Press Attache: Nancy Pettit
Contact: 380-44-490-4026/4042 -- 490-4050 (fax)
4 Hlybochyts'ka St.
Kyiv 04050 Ukraine
