In July 2026, the Ukrainian Institute is launching an international music project called “Polyphony of the Danube” under the motto “Una aqua, multae voces” (“One river, many voices”).
“Polyphony of the Danube” creates a space for cultural dialogue between Ukraine and the countries of the Danube region through music.
The project will present the musical heritage of Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine, highlighting historical, stylistic, and conceptual links between composers and musical traditions of the region.
“Polyphony of the Danube” is a musical mosaic in which works by Ukrainian and European composers enter into an artistic dialogue, demonstrating the shared cultural space of Central and Eastern Europe. The concert programs are built around the idea of interaction between traditions, cultural continuity, and a renewed interpretation of historical connections formed around the Danube.
As part of the project, a series of concerts will take place in leading cultural venues across Europe. Key locations include the Pohoda Festival in Trenčín (Slovakia), the Bethlehem Chapel in Prague, the Brahms Hall of the Vienna Philharmonic, Klangraum Graz in Graz, Cultus Ružinov in Bratislava, and the Budapest Music Center. The geography of “Polyphony of the Danube” will continue to expand.
Leading Ukrainian and international musical ensembles and performers are involved in the project, including the INSO-Lviv Symphony Orchestra, the National Ensemble of Soloists “Kyiv Camerata” featuring Susanna Chakhoyan, Liubov Ostrovska, and Kata Simon, as well as Johannes Krebs and Olena Misyo.
The first concert block will begin on 1 July in Graz with a chamber program featuring Olena Misyo (piano) and Johannes Krebs (cello). The program will include works by Franz Schubert, Borys Lyatoshynsky, and Viktor Kosenko—composers whose musical languages reflect a dialogue of European traditions.
On 11 July, the INSO-Lviv Orchestra under the baton of Georgian conductor Nikoloz Rachveli will perform an open-air program titled “Music of the Danube Region” as part of the international summer festival Pohoda in Slovakia. The event will feature the premiere of a work by Slovak composer Gaymoni Valhava performed by INSO-Lviv.
From 28 to 31 July, the Kyiv Camerata ensemble, led by conductor and music director of the Lviv National Opera Ivan Cherednichenko, will tour Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest. The program will include works by Ukrainian composers Vasyl Barvinsky, Oleksandr Kozarenko, Oleksandr Rodin, Zoltan Almashi, and Volodymyr Zubytsky, as well as European composers Franz Liszt, Béla Bartók, Ilja Zeljenka, Gaymoni Valhava, Antonín Dvořák, and Zoltán Kodály.
“Polyphony of the Danube” not only presents music from different countries but also opens a space for discussion about shared European cultural heritage, interconnections, and the future of cultural partnership.
The project emphasizes that music has the power to transcend historical borders, restore connections, and create new meanings within a shared cultural space of Europe.
Schedule of “Polyphony of the Danube”:
- 1 July – Chamber concert by Olena Misyo and Johannes Krebs at Klangraum Graz (Graz, Austria)
- 11 July – INSO-Lviv Orchestra symphonic performance at the Pohoda Festival (Trenčín, Slovakia)
- Kyiv Camerata tour:
- 28 July – Bethlehem Chapel (Prague, Czech Republic)
- 29 July – Vienna Philharmonic, Brahms Hall (Vienna, Austria)
- 30 July – Cultus Ružinov (Bratislava, Slovakia)
- 31 July – Budapest Music Center (Budapest, Hungary)
The “Polyphony of the Danube” project is intended to bring renewed relevance to the discussion of shared European cultural heritage, overcome historical borders, and create new meanings for the shared space of Central and Eastern Europe.
