A Grain of Jazz

Closing Concert of the 30th Season of the Lviv Virtuosos Chamber Orchestra

Performers:

Petro Krysa, violin
Volodymyr Duda, violin
Oksana Rapita, piano
Myroslav Dragan, piano
Yurii Duda, piano
Lviv Virtuosos Academic Chamber Orchestra
Taras Verhun, conductor

Program:

Kent Halvorsen – A Thought in G Minor
Oleksandr Kozarenko – Sinfonia Estravaganza
Myroslav Skoryk – Five Jazz Pieces for Piano and Orchestra:
Pleasant Walk
Obsessive Motif
Patterns
Caprice
In Folk Style
Volodymyr Duda – Jazz Concept
Myroslav Skoryk –
In the Old Jazz Style
Dziga for Piano and Strings
Festival of Violins
Michael Ovcharuk – Goats Grazing Beyond the Village
Gene Pritsker – Against all Hopes/Contra Spem Spero
Krompli

Jazz compositions by American and Ukrainian composers, a moving performance by the Zerno brand, works never before performed at the Philharmonic, and heartfelt dedications to the orchestra — all of this will come together in the final concert of the 30th season of the Lviv Virtuosos Academic Chamber Orchestra.

Especially for this occasion, Ukrainian-American violinist Petro Krysa will join the celebration in Lviv, complementing the stellar lineup of soloists — musicians who have collaborated with the orchestra over the past three decades: Volodymyr Duda, Oksana Rapita, Myroslav Dragan, and Yurii Duda.

Long enamored with jazz, the orchestra will perform works by American composers who actively support Ukraine both in their lives and their music, often composing on Ukrainian themes. Among them is Gene Pritsker, who contributed to the Zerno project marking three years of war in Ukraine, and Karl Jenkins, whose music the Virtuosos first performed in Lviv in 2014. Also featured will be Jazz Concept, a composition by the orchestra’s leader and concertmaster Volodymyr Duda, who has authored numerous arrangements for the ensemble.

It is impossible to imagine jazz on the Ukrainian stage without the music of Myroslav Skoryk, whose Merry Violins helped shape Lviv’s jazz legacy. It would be unthinkable to close the season without honoring the Philharmonic’s patron. Already a celebrated composer when the ensemble was founded, Skoryk not only supported the idea of the young Virtuosos Orchestra but also wrote music for them, performed as a soloist, and even recorded a CD together. The 30th season opened last September with Skoryk’s works — and will now conclude with his Five Jazz Pieces for Piano and Orchestra, closing the circle with respect and gratitude to the Maestro.