"Shchedryk" echoes across 17 countries: Vera Farmiga, Barbra Streisand spotlight Ukrainian heritage

The Ukrainian culture promotion agency Ukraine WOW shared this news on Instagram.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and with support from the Leontovych Institute, Ukraine WOW launched a project to promote "Shchedryk" globally. The song was performed at 50 venues in 17 countries tied to its original debut.

The project’s musical director was Jerry Heil. It also featured American actress, director, and producer Vera Farmiga, who is of Ukrainian descent, and American singer, composer, and director Barbra Streisand. Both contributed to narrating the story of this legendary melody.

"Ukraine is here. And this time of the year, you hear it all around you. The sound of the bells. The Carol of the Bells. The hope of a season, and a nation, and a world connected by this song that started in Ukraine," Vera Farmiga remarked in her address.

As reported by Suspilne, the musical marathon was opened by Ukrainian singer Jerry Heil and the "V.U.H.A." choir. They performed at the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, where on December 29, 1916, Oleksandr Koshyts’ choir first presented this piece.

As part of the project, "Shchedryk" was performed at iconic venues like the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Central Hall Westminster in London, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Plaza de Toros in Mexico City, and the Orfeo Catala in Barcelona, among others.

To showcase the role of "Shchedryk" in countering Russian narratives — Russia’s habit of appropriating Ukrainian cultural achievements while destroying the rest — words are hardly necessary, Ukraine WOW stated.

Background: The Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych arranged the song between 1901 and 1919, with early performances presented by students at Kyiv University. It was later adapted into the Christmas carol "Carol of the Bells" by American composer and educator Peter J. Wilhousky, inspired by a performance of Leontovych's composition by Alexander Koshetz's Ukrainian National Chorus at Carnegie Hall on October 5, 1922.