Anna Stavychenko

A few months ago, just before Christmas, Echoes from Ukraine met with Anna Stavychenko in Paris. Today, we are finally publishing the article. A Ukrainian musicologist, opera critic, and curator, she is the founder and artistic director of the 1991 Project, an initiative dedicated to bringing Ukrainian classical music into European and international concert programming. Former Executive Director of the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra, she works at the intersection of culture, strategy, and circulation, aiming to position Ukrainian repertoire within a shared European musical history. FULL ARTICLE IN BIO 🎻 @astavychenko - @1991_project_official ✍️ @valejed 🎨 @alexa_shd

Vasyl Stus: Herald and Poet of Ukraine 📅 19 March, 8 pm
📍 Salle Colonne (94 Boulevard Auguste Blanqui, 75013 Paris) 🎟 Tickets via the link in bio. A musical and literary encounter dedicated to the Ukrainian poet Vasyl Stus, introduced by Georges Nivat and Constantin Sigov. Poet. Dissident. Prisoner of the Gulag. Born in western Ukraine and raised in Donbas, Stus became one of the strongest voices of Ukrainian resistance. His poetry was banned by the Soviet regime; he was imprisoned twice and died in 1985 in the forced labour camp Perm-36 after a hunger strike. Yet his words survived. Through poetry, letters from the Gulag, and music, this performance traces the inner journey of a poet whose voice continues to resonate today — not only as a symbol of resistance, but also as a deeply human story of love, faith, and dignity. The evening culminates with Face to Oneself, a song cycle by Olena Ilnytska based on five poems by Stus. With
Olena Ilnytska @olena.ilnytska.mus — piano & composition
Oleksandra Turyanska — mezzo-soprano
Clément Mailliet @clement.mllie — cello
Aleksi Barrière @aleksi.barriere — reading Organised by @amcfranceukraine . With the support of @centreculturel.ukraine and @1991_project_official . We warmly thank Georges Nivat and @editionsnoirsurblanc for the opportunity to work with the texts ahead of the publication of Palimpsests. Poetry and Letters from the Gulag (March 2026). #VasylStus #Ukraine #poetry #music #paris

Opera screening: Vyshyvanyi. The King of Ukraine 🗓 Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 7 pm 📍 Reid Hall, 4 rue de Chevreuse (Paris 75006) 🎟️ Free, registration required Join us for the screening of the contemporary Ukrainian opera Vyshyvanyi. The King of Ukraine by @alla_zagaykevych , with a libretto by @serhiy_zhadan . Recorded at the Kharkiv State Opera @kharkiv_opera in autumn 2021, this powerful work—now regarded as a major achievement of contemporary Ukrainian opera—tells the extraordinary story of Wilhelm von Habsburg, known in Ukraine as Vasyl Vyshyvanyi: an Austrian archduke who became a Ukrainian poet, soldier, and advocate of independence. Blending contemporary academic and electroacoustic music with elements of Ukrainian folklore, the opera explores identity, freedom, political commitment, and the deep cultural dialogue between Ukraine and Western Europe. The screening will feature an online introduction by composer Alla Zagaykevych and producer @oleksandrasaienko , with moderation by Anna Stavychenko. 🔗Register via the link in bio. Organized by @1991_project_official and @cgcparis , this event takes place within the framework of the Ukrainian Season in France @saisonukraine , jointly organized by the @if_officiel and @ukrainian_institute @institut_ukrainien_france , under the patronage of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and with the support of the Ministries of Culture of both countries @francediplo @mfa_ukraine @culture_gouv . With the support of @ustream.fest .

🎻 Concert-presentation marking the 150th anniversary of Fedir Yakymenko and the new Anthology of Ukrainian Chamber Music. 📍 Reid Hall, 4 rue de Chevreuse (Paris 75006) ℹ️ Free + Open to all 📆 March 18, 2026 at 7 p.m. The 1991 Project presents a concert-presentation marking the 150th anniversary of the Ukrainian composer, conductor, and pedagogue Fedir Yakymenko (1876–1945). The programme will feature performances by musicians Pavlo Lysyi (piano), Andrii Koliada (violin), and Artem Zamkov (cello). During the concert, pianist and lecturer Pavlo Lysyi will also share insights into Yakymenko’s life, artistic evolution, and the cultural dialogue between Ukraine and France that shaped his work. This concert-presentation invites audiences to rediscover a composer whose artistic voice, once silenced by history, resonates today with renewed clarity and relevance. 🔗 Register at the link in bio. Organized by the 1991 Project and the Columbia Global Paris Center. This event takes place within the framework of the Ukrainian Season in France, jointly organized by the Institut français and the Ukrainian Institute, under the patronage of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and with the support of the Ministries of Culture of both countries.

Anna Stavychenko, founder and artistic director of the 1991 Project, took part in the panel “Protection of Cultural Identity and Cultural Resilience: The Case of Ukrainian Art” at the EU Info Hub / European Parliament in Brussels, sharing a perspective shaped by the 1991 Project’s work to give Ukrainian classical music visibility, context, and recognition in the West. Held ahead of the screening of Malevych (2024) by Daria Onyshchenko, the discussion addressed cultural identity as a matter of historical continuity and institutional responsibility, and the role of art in resisting war and cultural erasure. This dialogue reflects the mission of @1991_project_official : to establish Ukrainian classical music as an integral part of European cultural history and ensure its presence on international stages. With thanks to @awakening.ngo , @ukrainian_voices_rc , @ukrainian.hub , and @ukraine.eu.mission .

Thank you, 2025 1 @salzburgerfestspiele 2 My brilliant friend @irynags08 defended her PhD at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki 3-4 Berlin 5-7 Münchner Opernfestspiele @bayerischestaatsoper and a performance by my dear @anna.avits 8 @ruhrtriennale 9 @ifri_paris 10-13 @u_graine — where a beautiful friendship with @katerinaryasna led me to become an investor in this charming coffee & flowers shop in the heart of Paris (that’s why you see so many photos from here on my social media) 14 @wienerstaatsoper 15 Brussels with my exceptional friend and constant partner in crime @lanfatita 16-20 Paris moments

It was a beautiful year—full of meaningful events, packed venues, and the celebration of Ukrainian culture. Here are some highlights from the 1991 Project in 2025: 1–2 Our founder and Artistic Director, Anna Stavychenko, was invited by @unesco to contribute—alongside ministers of culture, experts, and cultural professionals—to recommendations on cultural policies for MONDIALCULT 2025, the world’s largest cultural policy conference. 3–4 Siimurg project with Iryna Gorkun-Silén and Aino Koski presenting works by Claude Debussy, Georg Philipp Telemann, Lesia Dychko, Viktor Kaminsky and Elisar Riddelin at Reid Hall. In partnership with @cgcparis and @iii_snfphi . 5–6 @quatuor_bleu_et_or performance at @museeorsay featuring works by Victoria Vita Poleva, Mykola Lysenko and Darius Milhaud. 7–8 One of the concerts we supported in Ukraine: «Пошук землі» with works by Vitalii Vyshynskyi, David Lang, John Luther Adams and Akim Zvarych. Organized by @ensemble.24 in Kyiv. 9–11 Zahortsev Days in Paris: Evgeny Gromov in recital at Reid Hall. In partnership with @cgcparis and @iii_snfphi . 12–15 Concert presented in partnership with Arts Arena featuring Evgeny Gromov, Rachel Koblyakov and Askar Ishangaliev with Trio by Volodymyr Zahortsev (French premiere), Violin Sonata by Claude Debussy and Drama by Valentyn Silvestrov. 16–17 Strings and Waves project at @sorbonne_univ featuring works by @arkushyna_composer , @katarinagryvul , @inconst_ann_cy , @alisyonokk and @yana_shliabanska performed by @quatuor_bleu_et_or . 18 We continue supporting Ukrainian schools affected by the war: flutes from Switzerland for the Shostka Art School, Sumy region. 19–20 We helped organize a Christmas celebration in a bomb shelter for the students of the Shostka Art School, offering children, parents, and teachers a cherished moment of togetherness and creativity amid the ongoing Russian bombing and shelling the city endures every day.

🇫🇷🇺🇦 Last month, we were honoured to take part in the SkyShield France solidarity evening in Paris — standing together for the protection of Ukrainian skies and civilians. At a full Salle Gaveau, our Pochaina Duo (Tetiana Kurochkina & Hanna Voievodkina) performed Partita–Meditation for two violins by Ukrainian contemporary composer Bohdana Frolyak — a moment where music carried the voice of resilience. Thank you for your solidarity, France. We are strong together.

🎶🇺🇦 Culture is part of Ukraine’s fight for freedom. We’re honoured that @1991_project_official and our Pochaina Duo (Tetiana Kurochkina&Hanna Voievodkina) will bring music to the SkyShield France solidarity evening 📍 Salle Gaveau, Paris – November 3, 2025 This event supports the SkyShield France collective, which calls for a European-led initiative to defend Ukrainian skies and civilians from Russian drone and missile attacks. 💙💛 Join the more than 56,000 voices who are already supporting SkyShield, including leading French political, military and cultural figures, and stand for freedom, culture, and life.

June 30th, 19:30 Sorbonne, amphithéâtre Richelieu (17, rue de la Sorbonne 75005 Paris) Strings and Waves. Echoes of the Young Generation of Ukrainian Women Composers This concert highlights the young generation of Ukrainian women composers through pieces by Anna Arkushyna, Katarina Gryvul, Hanna Horobynska, Alisa Zaika, and Yana Shliabanska. The 1991 Project, led by Anna Stavychenko, showcases works previously unknown in France, combining chamber music and electroacoustics. After the concert, Yana Shliabanska and Anna Stavychenko will share their experiences and thoughts about music as a tool of ‘soft power’ in times of political and social upheaval and the importance of popularizing Ukrainian music in this context. This event is part of the symposium “Cultural Diplomacy and Ukrainian Musical Creation 2014-2024” co-organized in Prague on November 27, 28, and 29, 2024, by the teams of the TANDEM (A Subaltern That Sings. From Sound Resistance to Musical Diplomacy in Wartime Ukraine) and UkFeMM (Ukrainian Female Music and Migrations) projects. Its aim is to support contemporary Ukrainian creation and foster collaborations between several female artists, such as this unprecedented partnership between the composers, the 1991 Project, and the Quatuor Bleu et or. Program: Katarina Gryvul, Inside the mirror for violin and cello, 2017 [4’] Hanna Horobynska, Accord avec soi-même for viola solo, 2025 (world premiere) [9’] Hanna Horobynska, String Quartet, 2025 (world premiere) [8’] Anna Arkushyna, Modelle for violin and tape, 2016 [7’] Alisa Zaika, VOID for string quartet, 2025 (world premiere) [12’] Conductor: Pedro Garcia-Velásquez Yana Shliabanska, Atropa belladonna, 2022. Version pour quatuor à cordes et dispositif électronique, 2025 [10’] Quatuor Bleu et Or: Yanzhyma Morozova, violin Hanna Voievodkina, violin Andrii Malakhov, viola Nataliia Ivanovska, cello Yana Shliabanska, electronics Pedro Garcia-Velásquez, conductor Anna Stavychenko, artistic director This concert is organized as part of the ARN project “Research Project on Orchestras, Discriminations and Gender” (PRODIGE). Registration via link in bio.

The Zahortsev Days in Paris celebrate the Ukrainian composer and a key figure of the Kyiv avant-garde. 🗓️ June 3 + 10 at 7 p.m. 🎟️ Free + Open to all upon registration 🔗 Register at the link in bio @cgcparis 🎹 JUNE 3 | In Pierre Boulez’s Orbit: Pianist Evgeny Gromov in Concert Pianist Evgeny Gromov meticulously traces Boulez’s inspirations and his direct influence on young colleagues including Volodymyr Zahortsev. 🎶 JUNE 10 | Composer Volodymyr Zahortsev: A Beginner’s Guide A lecture by composer and musicologist Alex Voytenko, a long-time researcher of Zahortsev’s oeuvre, offers a brief introduction to the composer’s significant but underrecognized artistic legacy. @1991_project_ofif presents Zahortsev Days in Paris, co-organized by @cgcparis and @iii_snfphi . With the support of the Embassy of Ukraine in France @centreculturel.ukraine and @spilka.paris . Curated by @astavychenko . Ukrainian composer Volodymyr Zahortsev (1944–2010) was a student of Borys Lyatoshynsky and one of the key figures of the Kyiv avant-garde. Perhaps the brightest representative of musical structuralism in Ukrainian music, Zahortsev widely used in the 1960s the latest compositional techniques of the time. In the mid-1970s, he moved away from the avant-garde style, then later returned to a more complex musical language. The Zahortsev Days in Paris continue the spirit of the 2023 Silvestrov Days, organized by the 1991 Project.

Ukrainian Resonance: Lyatoshynsky Trio 21 May 2025 at 7 p.m. Reid Hall | 4 rue de Chevreuse, 75006 Paris The evening will feature exquisite works by Chopin, Debussy, and Ukrainian composer Borys Lyatoshynsky, performed by the brilliant @lyatoshynskytrio —three outstanding soloists who have become vital ambassadors of Ukrainian chamber music across Europe. Your ticket will not only give you access to an unforgettable evening of music, but will also serve as a gesture of solidarity and support for the Kharkiv State Opera, which continue to create in the face of war. 🎟️ Tickets are available via the link in bio. This concert series is organized by the 1991 Project with @cgcparis and @iii_snfphi . The Lyatoshynsky Trio concert is presented in partnership with @acuf.ukraine and @kharkivmusicfest . Thanks to the Embassy of Ukraine in France, @centreculturel.ukraine and @spilka.paris for supporting this event.