Friends!

I have another incredibly important and exciting piece of news to share! Recently, another one of my choral works, "Holy God" ("Trisagion"), for treble choir a cappella and solo violin, was published by Hinshaw Music in the USA. This became possible thanks to the outstanding American choral conductor Pearl Shangkuan, who was the first performer of this piece and is also the head of Hinshaw Music.

Here’s the story behind this composition. A couple of months after the start of russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Pearl reached out to me with a request to compose a piece intended for a very significant event - the American Choral Directors Association American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Conference, which was to be held in Cincinnati. The purpose of inviting a Ukrainian composer to collaborate was to express support for Ukraine and its people in our struggle. I was deeply moved by this proposal and composed the piece in just a few hours.

This was my first composition created after the beginning of russia’s brutal, invasive, and murderous war against Ukraine. That is why my choice to turn to the canonical text of one of Christianity’s most essential prayers was no coincidence. The core idea of the piece is a prayer to God to save and protect the people of Ukraine from the russian invaders, from war, and from death.

There were many "firsts" associated with this work:

 It was my first commissioned work for the USA.

 It was my first piece to be performed by an Honorary choir of 300(!) singers - students from music institutions across the U.S., carefully selected from nearly 5,000 applicants.

 It was my first trip to the USA as a composer, not as a pianist.

 And for the first time, I felt such immense support as a representative of my heroic country.

The choir of girls welcomed me with incredible warmth, and the audience in the concert hall greeted both me and my piece with a standing ovation and prolonged applause. It was a moment I will never forget.

I am endlessly grateful to Pearl, the singers, and everyone involved in the organization and realization of this project!

I am truly happy that Ukrainian choral music is becoming more accessible to the world and winning the hearts of performers and listeners alike.

For those interested, the score is available for purchase on the official Hinshaw Music website - link below.