Contrasts 31. Lviv: Contemporary Music and Simulacrum | Panel Discussion

The “Contrasts” Festival enters its mature stage: as we open the fourth decade, we invite both new and long-time listeners to reflect on this year’s theme — “Simulacrum.” During a time of full-scale war, we are especially aware of the fragility of reality and the dangers of simulations that attempt to replace truth. The task of culture is to resist this.

Together with leading composers, musicologists, and cultural organizers, we will discuss:

• how the “Contrasts” Festival has evolved over the years;

• whether Lviv is truly a “city of music” — and what shapes this identity;

• the phenomenon of the simulacrum in art: how to recognize an authentic cultural message;

• how war is transforming the classical stage and what threats and challenges this reveals.

Speakers:
Bohdan Sehin — Artistic Director of the Contrasts Festival
Volodymyr Syvokhip — General Director of the Lviv National Philharmonic
Oleksandr Shchetynskyi — Composer
Karmella Tsepkolenko — Composer, Artistic Director of the Two Days and Two Nights of New Music Festival in Odesa
Yurii Chekan — Musicologist

Moderator: Dzvenyslava Safian

We invite everyone interested in contemporary music, cultural processes, and the ways art reflects the changes in our society to join this open conversation.