singing for ukraine
Six months ago on Ukrainian Independence Day, we released A Quiet Night - Tyhoyi Nochi by Natalia Tsupryk in collaboration with VIVO Vocal Ensemble. The piece was commissioned as an act of solidarity with the people of Ukraine and in an effort to create something new and beautiful at a time of so much destruction and loss.
Since August, the piece has been performed all over the world by choirs, bringing people together with local Ukrainians in their communities and acting as a creative expression of defiance in the face of Russian aggression.
Here is our performance which we recorded at the Ukrainian Cathedral in London:
To mark the terrible occasion of the one year anniversary of the full scale invasion of Ukraine, we have gathered some words from those who have performed the piece, along with two videos of live performances. As the war rages on, we would like to encourage choirs to perform A Quiet Night and - where possible - to collaborate with and raise funds to support those who have been displaced by conflict in their communities.
The score is available to purchase via the button below with all proceeds from downloads contributing to our fundraising appeal for the Ukrainian Welcome Centre in London.
One of the first choirs to perform the piece was the Sorbonne University Chorus directed by Frédéric Pineau. We love the intensity of their performance and the way the singers on the drone part are spread around the building. Watch it in full below:
In December, the Norwegian choir Sjøbodkoret performed the piece as part of their Christmas concert under the direction of Andreas Stensholt who has shared a few words of their experience of the piece:
I was introduced to this piece by one of my singers this autumn and it moved me from the very beginning. The music itself is beautiful, and of course it becomes even stronger because of the underlying context. For me this became a piece of reflection and a reminder that we must not forget. In Norway we hear about the war on the news, we take in some refugees, but let's be honest: our daily life is not affected that much. So we get back to our daily lives after the first shocking news about war in Europe.
We tried to give ourselves and the audience a reminder about what is still very much a reality every day for the people of Ukraine. It was one of the most emotional openings of a concert I have ever conducted. I wanted to create a room of silence, and also a feeling of distance between us and the audience. The whole concert opened with silence. The singers stood in the center of the church with their backs towards the audience. Then the drone started from the organ gallery. I chose to have the english "drone-words" spoken. The Norwegian audience is quite fluent in English, and I wanted those words to be clearly understood. The next piece was an a cappella version of "Silent Night". For me this completed the message: the meaning of a quiet, or a silent night can be so totally different.
On the same day as the performance in Norway, Mumbles A Cappella performed the piece at St Peter’s Church in Newton, Wales. Their director Phil Orrin has told us of the choir’s determination to support the people of Ukraine at this difficult time, adding:
Our choir thoroughly enjoyed learning the composition and found the whole process very moving - our Ukrainian singers and guests at the concert were equally moved by this thought-provoking and emotional piece of a cappella music.
“I felt a sense of responsibility to do it justice because of its significance and importance. The emotional investment ran strong through the choir that night. It felt as if we sang it for Ukraine.”
