A concert titled "Music Through the Ages," performed by the Glorious Choir, took place at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Chicago, dedicated to the defenders of Ukraine. The event was part of the annual "Open House Chicago" architectural program and featured a blend of Ukrainian sacred, classical, and folk music.
This was reported by Taras Kolopelnyk for the newspaper Surma.
The concert was hosted at St. Nicholas Cathedral, which participates annually in the "Open House Chicago" program, organized by the Chicago Architecture Center. Over the course of two days, visitors have the opportunity to explore hundreds of architecturally significant buildings across the city, including this Ukrainian church.
The Glorious Choir participated in the program for the second consecutive year. This year’s performance was dedicated to Ukraine’s defenders, with a musical program structured around various periods and styles within the nation’s musical heritage.
Sacred works, classical compositions by Ukrainian composers, and folk songs resonated beneath the cathedral’s vaults. Highlights included Kyrylo Stetsenko’s antiphon "Bless the Lord, O My Soul," Roman Hurko’s "Theotokos Virgin," the third concerto by Dmytro Bortniansky—"O Lord, in Thy Strength the King Shall Rejoice"—and Myroslav Skoryk’s "Melody."
The folk tradition was represented by songs such as "The Moon in the Sky," "If I Had Eagle’s Wings," and "White Asters in the Autumn Garden." The concert concluded with "Kolomyiky" by Andriy Hnatyshyn.
The program encompassed various facets of Ukrainian musical culture: sacred works, the classical heritage of composers, lyrical folk songs, and Carpathian musical traditions. A central theme of the concert was the preservation of Ukrainian cultural heritage and the memory of the nation’s history.
The musical performance took place within the historic setting of the cathedral, whose architecture itself speaks to the Ukrainian spiritual tradition. The interior features Ukrainian ornamental motifs, icons, and stained-glass windows depicting figures significant to the history of both Christianity and Ukraine—including Saint Prince Volodymyr, Princess Olga, Saints Cyril and Methodius, Saint Clement I, and Saint Josaphat.
Background
Open House Chicago is an annual program organized by the Chicago Architecture Center, which opens hundreds of the city’s architecturally significant buildings to the public. St. Nicholas Cathedral is one of the Ukrainian sites featured in the program.
Photo: Taras Kolopelnyk
Author: Danylo Pievchev