The fourth "Ukrainian Cultural Festival," organized by Razom for Ukraine, has brought together 18 events in New York, including film screenings, theater, poetry, discussions, and concerts. The festival, which began on October 18, will conclude on November 6 with a concert at Zankel Hall (Carnegie Hall) featuring the Girls’ Chamber Choir of the Mykola Lysenko Kyiv State Music Lyceum and the Westchester Children’s Chorus.
This was reported by Razom for Ukraine.
The fourth annual "Ukrainian Cultural Festival" (UCF), organized by Razom for Ukraine, is taking place in New York from October 18 to November 6. Its program encompasses 18 events held at various cultural venues across the city.
According to the organizers, the festival opened on October 18 at Carnegie Hall with the American premiere of a concerto for piano four-hands by Oleh Bezborodko “Steel, Violet, Rage” .
From October 22 to 26, screenings of Ukrainian and international documentary and feature films were held at DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema and the QUAD Cinema. The program included "Sanatorium", "Nice Ladies", "Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story", "Silent Flood", "Honeymoon", "To the Victory!", and "Cuba & Alaska".
The organizers also placed a special focus on short films, presenting selections from Docudays UA and the Linoleum Animation Festival. There was also a discussion on immersive XR technologies, as well as a masterclass by Ukrainian animator Sashko Danylenko.
The theatrical component of the festival featured a presentation of the documentary project *The Reckoning*—created by the British company DASH Arts and based on eyewitness accounts of the Russo-Ukrainian War collected by The Reckoning Project. Excerpts were screened, followed by a discussion, on October 26 at Teatro LATEA.
Additionally, on November 4, "More Beauty Than Sorrow" by playwright Richard Nelson—the final installment of his theatrical cycle dedicated to Lesya Ukrainka—was presented at The Public Theater.
The festival’s literary program ran from October 28 to November 1. Poets House hosted an event titled "Poet as Witness," featuring Ukrainian poets and military service members Yaryna Chornohuz and Lesyk Panasiuk, alongside translator Amelia Glaser.
A discussion on the work of Lesya Ukrainka, featuring theater directors Virlana Tkach and Rory Pelsue, was held at the New York Public Library. On November 1, the Ukrainian National Home hosted a poetry and music evening titled "Ukrainian Poetry Outburst," which included appearances by Gogol Bordello frontman Eugene Hudz and bandura player Julian Kytasty.
The festival will conclude with a concert titled "Unbreakable Harmony", scheduled for November 6 at Zankel Hall (Carnegie Hall). The event will feature joint performances by the Girls’ Chamber Choir of the Mykola Lysenko Kyiv State Music Lyceum and the American Westchester Children’s Chorus.
According to the organizers' vision, the festival aims to introduce the American audience to contemporary Ukrainian culture and showcase its development amidst a full-scale war.
Photo: Razom for Ukraine
Author: Inna Mikhno