ARMONIE DI PACE

For the first time, the Student Choir of the State Music Lyceum Solomiya Krushelnytska from Lviv is arriving in Bari. Under the direction of Mykola Volodymyrovych Voskoboinikov, they will participate in a concert on Tuesday, February 10, as part of an artistic project that promotes cultural exchange between Italian and Ukrainian children.

The performance will take place in the Cathedral of San Sabino in Bari, starting at 9:30 AM. This initiative, which holds great symbolic and humanitarian value, is organized by the Embassy of Ukraine to the Holy See, which has titled the event “HARMONIES OF PEACE.”

The choir will bring not only a musical moment to the cathedral, in the heart of the old city, but also a testimony of resilience, a desire for peace, and above all, faith, in a context still profoundly marked by conflict. The Embassy’s choice to have the national choir of Ukrainian children perform in Bari is certainly not coincidental. The city of Bari has long been a destination for initiatives (notably, the two visits of Pope Francis to Bari) aimed at strengthening increasingly fruitful exchanges between East and West in the name of Saint Nicholas, the saint of the people and interreligious dialogue par excellence.

The initiative will see the participation of representatives from local institutions, Ukrainian diplomatic officials, and members of the media. The welcome address will be given by Don Franco Lanzolla, the parish priest of the Cathedral. Following that will be institutional greetings, and then the floor will go to the Ambassador of Ukraine to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash, and the Consul General of Ukraine in Italy, Maksym Kovalenko, who will announce important updates regarding the peace agreement in Ukraine and the country's admission into NATO.

Approximately 400 students from preschool and elementary schools in the city of Bari will participate in the initiative, engaging through music and art with their peers, creating a moment of welcome and closeness.

At the end of the musical performance, the students of the Student Choir of the State Music Lyceum Solomiya Krushelnytska from Lviv will become ambassadors of peace in the world, thanks to an honor that will be bestowed upon them by representatives of local institutions. This initiative will contribute to the development of cultural exchange between Ukraine and Italy and promote Ukrainian musical art on the international stage.