In memory of the Invincible
In memory of the fallen soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the innocents killed in the Russian-Ukrainian war
A year of fierce struggle, a year of fateful days and sleepless nights, a year of sad losses, but also… A year of hope and pride for Ukraine and Ukrainians, a year of love and appreciation of everyone nearby and everything we have!
A year of strength, courage, bravery, and, most importantly, faith in Victory!
On the eve of the first anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion, Lviv National Opera invites you to join the commemoration of the fallen soldiers who defended Ukraine and all the innocent victims whose lives were taken by russia.
The soloists, choir and orchestra of Lviv National Opera will perform Giuseppe Verdi’s “Requiem” – one of the most dramatic compositions of world classics, full of emotions, pain and faith. The program also features the work of the Ukrainian composer Viktoriia Poliova “Bucha. Lacrimosa”, created in memory of the innocent victims who tragically died at the hands of the Russian invaders in Bucha.
The renowned Canadian conductor of Ukrainian origin Keri-Lynn Wilson will conduct the concert. In the summer of 2022, she led the world tour “Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra”, during which Ukrainian musicians performed in the largest cities of Europe and America.
Performers:
Soloists, choir and orchestra of Lviv National Opera
Marko Komonko – violin
Keri-Lynn Wilson – conductor / Founding conductor and Music Director of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra
Program:
Viktoriia Poliova (1962). Bucha. Lacrimosa
Soloist – Marko Komonko
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901). Requiem for soloists, choir and orchestra
Soloists:
Soprano – Sofiia Solovii
Mezzo-soprano – Anastasiia Polishchuk
Tenor – Vladyslav Horai
Bass – Taras Berezhanskyi
Keri-Lynn Wilson’s career as a conductor spans more than twenty years, and includes engagements at both opera houses, including the Royal Opera House, Bayerische Staatsoper and Metropolitan Opera, and with orchestras including the LA Phil, and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.
Most recently, her idea of defending Ukraine through music resulted in the creation of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, an ensemble composed of leading Ukrainian musicians from inside the embattled country, as well as recent refugees and Ukrainian members of European orchestras. In July and August 2022, led by Ms. Wilson, the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra toured across Europe, performing at the BBC Proms in London, the Edinburgh Festival, the Les Chorégies d’Orange festival in France, Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park and the Kennedy Center among other venues.
Other highlights of Ms. Wilson’s 2022/23 season include her return to Covent Garden, conducting La Traviata; and performances with Tokyo’s NHK Orchestra, the Hessische Staatsorchester Wiesbaden, the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, the Wrocław Philharmonic, Orchestre national Bordeaux Aquitaine, and the Lithuanian National Orchestra. She returns to her alma mater, Juilliard, to conduct the double bill of Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi and to the Opéra de Montréal to conduct Madama Butterfly in the spring.
Over a rich and varied career, Ms. Wilson has conducted, amongst many other orchestras, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the San Francisco Symphony, the Wiener Kammerorchester, the Bruckner Orchestra of Linz, the Prague Philharmonia, the RAI Symphony Orchestra, the Salzburg Mozarteum, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony, the Orchestre national d’Ile de France, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Toronto Symphony and l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal.
Ms. Wilson’s career operatic highlights include Carmen at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden; Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and La Traviata at the Wiener Staatsoper, La Traviata, Madama Butterfly and Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Madama Butterfly at the Deutsche Oper, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and La Traviata at the Opernhaus Zürich, Don Carlo, Iolanta, Manon Lescaut, Carmen, Tosca, and La traviata at the Bolshoi Theatre, La Fanciulla del West and Aïda at the English National Opera, Rusalka at the Czech National Opera, Rigoletto at the Norwegian National Opera, Der Fliegende Holländer, Carmina Burana, Boris Godunov, and Carmen at the Polish National Opera, Faust at the Washington National Opera, Pique Dame and Tosca at the Latvian National Opera and Madama Butterfly at the Canadian Opera Company. She was the first female conductor to lead an opera at: the Arena di Verona, where she conducted Tosca and Madama Butterfly; the New National Theatre (NNT) Tokyo, where she led Madama Butterfly; and the Opera di Roma, where she conducted Aïda.
Of partial Ukrainian descent, Ms. Wilson was raised in Winnipeg, Canada, home of North America’s most concentrated Ukrainian population, where she studied flute, piano, and violin from an early age. While still a student at Juilliard, she assisted Claudio Abbado at the Salzburg Festival, and won a fellowship from the Tanglewood Music Center. Upon graduating from Juilliard with a masters both in flute and conducting, she was named the Associate Conductor at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
