As the war rages on, we shine a spotlight on Ukrainian musicians
The first thing you see when you go to violinist Solomiya Ivakhiv’s website is the simple declaration, “I stand with Ukraine.” And she would: she was born in Ukraine, coming to the United States to study at the Curtis Institute of Music, then getting her DMA at SUNY Stonybrook, while also sitting as concertmaster for both Curtis and Tanglewood Center Symphony Orchestras. Ms. Ivakhiv has made her career in the states, teaching at University of Connecticut, Bard College’s Longy School, as well as regularly working with high schools in outreach programs. But she's maintained her birthplace connection as the Artistic Director and frequent performer with MATI, the Music at the Institute Concert Series at the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York City, a position she has held since 2010. There, she’s put together over 100 concerts, including programs featuring Ukrainian women composers and young Ukrainians. These days, her heart is clearly with her homeland.
Ms. Ivakhiv’s newest CD is Poems and Rhapsodies, a collection of violin showcases that includes beloved favorites like Chausson’s Poéme and Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending alongside pieces by Ukrainian composers Anatoly Kos-Anatolsky and Myroslav Skoryk, all played with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine and conductor Volodymyr Sirenko. The music is powerful and elegant, and Solomiya Ivakhiv’s performance is lyrical and commanding.
Solomiya Ivakhiv was slated to perform in Ukraine on April 1. The concert date is now listed as “to be determined.”
