Can you name any Ukrainian composer? There is a reason why you probably cannot, even if you are a music lover and a regular visitor to concert halls. And that reason is not that Ukrainian classical music does not exist.
The ongoing war has an overarching strategic objective, in addition to petty territorial conquest: the destruction of the Ukrainian national identity. This is not the first time Ukraine is experiencing such an attempt. During centuries of tragic colonial history under different political regimes, Ukraine has suffered not only cultural appropriation but also bans on the use of the Ukrainian language, the destruction of cultural objects, and the persecution and physical elimination of Ukrainian artists, intellectuals and cultural figures.
This is happening again in our time. According to the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, from 22 February 2022 to October 2024, more than 130 cultural figures, including composers, performers, opera singers, conductors and music managers, were killed in Ukraine. At least 2,109 pieces of cultural infrastructure were damaged and another 368 were destroyed, including opera houses, concert halls and musical educational institutions. Of course, the true figures are even higher, because the war actually began in February 2014.
Various state institutions, private initiatives and individual activists are currently preserving and promoting Ukrainian classical music, both in Ukraine itself and in the world at large. At the request of the UN Chronicle, I will share here my personal experience as a music professional in this regard.
