In the midst of Russia’s continued attacks on neighboring Ukraine, an esteemed Ukrainian orchestra has continued performing — and it’s coming to Vermont this month.
The Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine is the first show of 2023 in the KCP Presents Series, a collaboration between two arts organizations in the Northeast Kingdom.
The Lviv Orchestra will perform at 7 p.m. on Jan. 29 at the Lyndon Institute in Lyndon Center.
“The idea that we could show some solidarity with the people in Ukraine and also present this exciting piece of music became a real keystone to our series this year,” said Jay Craven, artistic director at Kingdom County Productions, which is presenting the event alongside Catamount Arts.
The Lyndon Institute is one of the orchestra’s first stops on its United States tour, which includes big-city venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York and Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.
For Craven, the Lviv Orchestra’s performance is an opportunity to bring more orchestral music to the Northeast Kingdom. “Orchestras are sort of new to us,” he said.
He said he was initially interested in presenting the orchestra prior to Russia’s February 2022 invasion because it would perform Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony.
Shortly after Craven began negotiating a date with the Lviv orchestra, Russia invaded Ukraine, and the group became in much higher demand. The orchestra was booked immediately by Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, and Craven decided to book them too, he said.
The group’s updated setlist will exclude Tchaikovsky’s symphony because the 19th-century composer was Russian. It will instead feature Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, along with Brahms’ Tragic Overture and a Bruch violin concerto.
The Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra was established in 1902 in the medieval city of Lviv in western Ukraine. The orchestra performed 115 concerts for 115,000 patrons in its first year.
Award-winning Ukrainian-American conductor Theodore Kuchar will lead the Lviv orchestra in its Lyndon Institute performance. Kuchar, who the orchestra reports is the most recorded conductor of his generation, was recently appointed as the orchestra’s principal conductor after two seasons as the principal guest conductor.
The Lviv Orchestra has previously toured internationally to Poland, Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and China. Over the past few seasons, the orchestra has completed recordings for major international labels, including Naxos, Toccata Classics and Brilliant Classics.
Between 70 and 80 musicians will take the stage at the Lyndon Institute, which can hold up to 630 audience members. The KCP Presents season began in September and will continue through early May, offering 12 shows from seven countries at its two venues — the Lyndon Institute and St. Johnsbury Academy.
Craven launched the KCP Presents Series in 2009 under his nonprofit organization, Kingdom County Productions, which makes movies, conducts educational programs and presents performing arts. He later merged the program with Catamount Arts, which now handles the financing and logistics side of the operation, in an effort to bring more high-quality cultural events to the Northeast Kingdom.
In past years, the series has presented performers such as Ray Charles, the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Johnny Cash and Bonnie Raitt.
More information on the KCP Presents Series and the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance at the Lyndon Institute can be found at the Catamount Arts website.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the name of Tchaikovsky’s symphony.
