In Chicago's oldest Ukrainian shrine - St. Nicholas Cathedral - the Glorious choir and chamber orchestra conducted by Bohdana Chepil performed a classical music concert as part of the Open House Chicago program organized by the Chicago Architecture Center. The event "Architecture is Music Frozen in Stone" was dedicated to the fallen Heroes of the war in Ukraine.
This was reported by St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral.
After the blessing of Father Pavlo Drozdyak, spiritual and classical works by Ukrainian and world composers - Kyrylo Stetsenko, Johann Sebastian Bach, Giulio Caccini, Tommaso Albinoni, Roman Hurk, John Williams, Edvard Grieg - were performed for those present.
The vocal solo of Vira Boychuk, violin parts by Yulia Perehozhuk and Pavlo Kurylyuk added a special sound to the concert. In combination with the acoustics of the church, the music created the effect of a deep spiritual presence, emphasizing the beauty of the architecture, icons, and stained glass windows of the cathedral.
“At such moments, the soul feels warm, calm, and peaceful. Because the soul creates prayer. With thoughts, words, and sounds. And above you is the high dome of the church. And your prayer flies there to soar even higher, to the very heavens,” Ruslana Romanyuk wrote in a report for the Surma publication.
The author noted that the music of that day sounded not only as art, but as a sincere joint prayer for peace and gratitude for those who defend Ukraine.
The final chord was Myroslav Skoryk’s “Melody” – a composition that, according to the audience, “sounded like a frenzy of love, beauty, pain, and faith.” Its emotional power resonated with the experiences of Ukrainians during wartime, when music becomes a way of remembrance, sorrow, and hope.
The Cathedral of St. Nicholas, currently undergoing restoration, remains open to all who wish.
As the parish notes, its doors are always open to those who seek to “experience a special state of mind in contemplating sacred beauty, in sincere conversation and prayer with God.”
Photo: St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral.
Author: Danylo Pievchev