The more I represent Ukraine on the world stage, the clearer I see that we still underestimate the power of culture as a tool for our statehood. And until we realize this, others will do it for us – with their own interests, their own agendas, and their own narratives.
We don’t need pity or sympathy – we need respect! As a musician, it’s important to me that Ukrainian music is played around the world; that the names of our composers sound as natural as the names of the world canon; and that our stories are associated not only with tragedies, but also with strength, resilience, and talent.
I dream that the world will become even more convinced of how awesome we really are.
I often come to government agencies with bold ideas. But the answer is almost always the same: “The budget is limited.” This is how our cultural diplomacy works: high-profile projects are mainly supported by private initiatives and the enthusiasm of people who simply care. In fact, all the most important events in my career have happened thanks to such private initiatives.
It is not a big secret that giants such as the Salzburg Festival, La Scala, and many other major European music venues have been financed by Russia’s Gazprom for years. And if they finance festivals, who will play there? The answer is obvious. No matter how many Ukrainians take to the streets with banners, a simple formula still applies in the world: he who pays the piper calls the tune. And in our field, this is absolutely true.
Culture is the formation of a national image. It is what makes a nation recognizable and influential. And cooperation with world-renowned musicians plays a big role in promoting Ukrainian academic music around the world.
My team, the National Ensemble of Soloists “Kyiv Camerata,” and I greatly appreciate, for example, our collaboration with Keri-Lynn Wilson, who became our principal conductor last year. We are proud of her Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, which for the fourth year in a row has been performing “resilience tours” on the world’s most prestigious stages. With each concert, Keri-Lynn reminds the world that the war in Ukraine is still going on. Human memory is short. And art is something that can be heard loud and clear – today and even centuries from now.
One of the main questions I ask today is: how can we motivate Ukrainian businesses to support major cultural events abroad? Without this, we will be unable to strengthen our voice in the world. And it is precisely the availability of funding that should be one of the key criteria for the future advisory council at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will determine priority cultural projects.
There are examples of such cooperation between cultural figures, institutions, and large Ukrainian businesses. For example, throughout 2025, the MHP Community Foundation supported a concert by the Kyiv Camerata at the Berlin Philharmonic, and a performance at the Council of Europe headquarters on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s membership in the Council of Europe.
Without investment, we cannot create a systematic approach. Without a systematic approach, we will not win on the cultural front.
So that it does not seem that I am speaking in abstractions, I will share what 2025 was like for me personally.
- January – concert “Dedication to Bohdana Pivnenko” – presented a collection of works that composers dedicated to me as a violinist
- February – performance before the Danish Parliament and the royal family
- March – received the Shevchenko Prize
- April – concert of the Kyiv Camerata with Keri-Lynn Wilson at the Berlin Philharmonic, the program of which consisted entirely of Ukrainian music, as it did a year earlier at Carnegie Hall in New York
- May – participation in the Kharkiv Music Fest
- September – extensive tour of Belgium and the Netherlands: 21 concerts
- October – Internship at the Metropolitan Opera in New York
- November – performance at the Council of Europe at a forum dedicated to democracy and the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s accession to the Council of Europe; performance in Strasbourg at the opening of the exhibition “Spromozhni” (‘Empowered’) by the association “Dyvis Ukrainske” (“Watch Ukrainian”), producer Andriy Rizol;
- December – opening of the Ukrainian season in France.
And all this is not just performances and not just tours. This is powerful cultural diplomacy.
Ukrainian culture today is our heart, and its healthy rhythm shapes the image of Ukraine – successful, modern, and truly interesting to the world.
The views expressed are the author’s and not necessarily of Kyiv Post.