Member of the Month: Solomiya Ivakhiv

January 17, 2025

Current Position:

Head of Strings, Professor of Violin and Viola at the University of Connecticut

Violin Faculty at Longy School of Music of Bard College

Artistic Director, Music at the Institute (MATI) Concert Series in New York City

Artistic Director, Caspian Monday Music

Professional Interests: Concert Violinist

 

 

 

 

Why did you decide to join the Shevchenko Scientific Society?

It is a society of like-minded people who value education and have a lot of love for Ukraine. I am confident that, with my knowledge and expertise, I can make a valuable contribution to the Society and to Ukrainian culture.

 

What do you value about membership in the Society?

I value that our members care about promoting the Ukrainian language, Ukrainian music, and culture and introducing them to academic circles and audiences worldwide.

One of my most memorable events was the MATI (Ukrainian Institute of America’s) collaboration with NTSHA for Virko Baley’s 80th and 85th birthday celebrations. Virko has done a lot for Ukrainian music to be heard in the United States during the Iron Curtain era, and it was only appropriate to pay respect and celebrate him in collaboration with NTSHA at the Ukrainian Institute of America. Also, NTSHA supported my Album, Ukrainian Christmas, which featured arrangements of 12 carols for solo violin and orchestra by Bohdan Kryvopust (born in Zaporizhia). I recorded these carols with the Lviv Philharmonic in February 2024 during the missile attacks, and the prestigious NAXOS label produced the album. It received excellent reviews from Gramophone magazine and BBC Radio and was featured on Sirius XM and NPR.

 

How did your interest in Ukrainian culture and society influence your career path?

I am a concert violinist, but as a Ukrainian, I feel it is my duty to promote Ukrainian music, which I started doing at a young age. Since 2011, when I became Artistic Director of the Music at the Institute Concert Series at the Ukrainian Institute of America, I programed over 160 Ukrainian composers on the Series. What is so important about it is that works by Ukrainian composers are performed along with Western composers, which brings up an important point: Ukrainian music belongs to the repertoire of world masterpieces and should not be excluded or singled out. Ukrainian music has its own place in the realm of classical music. I am also proud to say that my colleagues, who are amazing, well-respected musicians, perform Ukrainian music outside of the Ukrainian community, and they learned it for the initial performance at MATI.

As the Head of Strings at the University of Connecticut, I also encourage students to learn Ukrainian music. Not only do they perform pieces written by Ukrainian composers, but they also advocate for Ukrainian music and Ukrainian culture. For example, my student Vincent Kaverud won first prize at the Ukrainian Music Competition and performed a piece by Myroslav Skoryk at Carnegie Hall. And my former student Jack Nighan took the initiative in helping librarians at Indiana University to change the spellings of Ukrainian composers from russian to Ukrainian. While studying at UConn, on numerous occasions, Jack heard from me about the injustice and how moscovian culture would censor Ukrainian artists and claim them as their own. Jack made it his mission to correct the names of Ukrainian artists while studying at Indiana University.

 

What is your current project?

I had been on a mission for the past 20 years to integrate Ukrainian classical music into the collection of world music repertoire. I am working on my 7th album (the 5th of Ukrainian music) which I just recorded in Lviv with INSO-Lviv Orchestra and Lviv Philharmonic. The album will feature Hanna Havrylets, who tragically died at the beginning of the war, Roman Prydatkevych and Osyp Zalesky, Ukrainian-American composers, Bohdan Kryvopust, Victoria Poleva’s reflection on the “Bucha” tragedy and Bohdana Frolyak. I keep introducing unknown (to the Western world and Ukrainians in Ukraine) composers whose music was neglected due to wars and russian invasions. Album #8 with the music of Fedir Yakymenko is in the works and Album #9 of piano trios by Bohdana Frolyak, Catherine Likhuta, Yevhen Stankovych, and Vasyl Barvinsky recorded with Yale faculty, pianist Melvin Chen, and Juilliard and Oberlin faculty cellist Darrett Adkins will come out soon as well.

 

What career advice would you give to new members of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in the United States?

Be a vital active member, contribute, participate, find your passion, develop an idea and work with the available resources. NTSHA is a very nurturing place and all ideas are welcome and valued!