KharkivMusicFest

The most prominent classical music festival in Eastern Ukraine, established in 2018, is held annually in Kharkiv.

The festival brings together the best musicians from Ukraine and around the globe, fostering cultural connections between various regions of Ukraine and the rest of the world.

In 2022, preparations were underway for a vibrant and diverse international festival, as was customary. However, the russian invasion of Ukraine forced a complete overhaul of our plans.

Kharkiv is a city just 30 km from the border with Russia, so it was one of the first cities to be hit by the barrage of fire from its side on the 24th of February 2022. KharkivMusicFest-2022 was supposed to open on the 26th of March in the Great Hall of the Kharkiv Philharmonic with a concert by French pianist Lucas Debargue. Instead, we held a program titled “Concert between explosions” in the Kharkiv subway, for people who had been hiding and living there for several weeks. The concert began with the national anthem of Ukraine, which inspired the audience to put their hands to their hearts. Later, several more concerts were held in shelters and hospitals.

Despite the war the musical spring comes to Kharkiv again with KharkivMusicFest in 2023. As always, we fill the city with the bright colours of our ArtPianos and the beautiful music of various concerts.

Among them are performances by the famous Ukrainian violinist Bohdana Pivnenko and Norwegian pianist Aksel Kolstad, who have both found the time and courage to schedule performances in Eastern Ukraine during this aggressive war against our country.

Among the events will be performances by the Festival Orchestra, a number of small chamber concerts, cultural events at ArtPiano locations, art therapy concerts and classes for children.

While the majority of our festival venues are underground this year, we understand that each concert serves as a thread that binds people to the normalcy they experienced before the full-scale invasion. Every performance is a testament to the idea that even though evil can rear its head from time to time, it is ultimately fleeting, and universal values endurThe festival is supported by its patrons — Kharkiv entrepreneurs, who reside as the members of its board of trustees. It is organized by the Charity Community Foundation of Kharkiv “Toloka” and most of the events are free for visitors.

Festival projects and initiatives

Festival Orchestra

A collective that unites the best musicians from Ukraine and other countries on one stage. The idea of the initiative is not only to create a renowned symphony orchestra but also to bridge the potential cultural gaps between musicians from Europe, Australia, the USA, the Middle East, and the Caucasus and musicians from Ukraine, who will gather on the same stage in Kharkiv.

Art Piano

One of the festival’s recognised brand symbols are painted pianos that fill the streets with bright colours and magical sounds of music.

The Borys Lyatoshynsky All-Ukrainian Young Composers Competition

This Competition for young composers aims to discover and support new names in Ukrainian music. The competition is held annually. The winners’ compositions are performed at the “Call for Talent” award concert.

Kharkiv Music Festival Children’s Orchestra

This initiative unites approximately 50 young musicians aged 10 to 18 from Kharkiv. Guided by the orchestra’s conductor and seasoned tutors, these young talents gain valuable professional experience in orchestral music.