„We are from Ukraine” – that’s the name of the choir composed of Ukrainian women who left their homes due to the war. We talked to the members of the group and learned about their lives before the full-scale war, theз founding of the choir, and their concert activities.
Who are the choir members?
Natalia Zinchenko, a former bank employee and handmade ornament designer, moved from Kyiv to Poland with her daughter due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She acknowledges that the initial period was very challenging. For about two months, Natalia tried to find a way to use her creative potential and overcome the war trauma. Later, she returned to what she did best – creating jewellery. During this time, she created about 1000 ornaments sent to customers in over 12 countries.
One day, Natalia saw an advertisement on social media about recruitment for a musical group led by another Ukrainian activist, Katarzyna Ryzhyk, and decided to join. She soon participated in the choir’s first rehearsal.
Natalia shares that being part of the group helped her understand the strength of Ukrainian women, as other participants, like her, had gone through many challenges: starting life from scratch with two suitcases, searching for housing, schools, sources of income, etc.
The choir also brought together women of different ages and from different regions of Ukraine.
„For most of us, the choir is a little Ukraine,” says another choir member, Tetiana Zhelninska. She had to leave her home twice due to the war. In 2014, she left with her family for a vacation, and upon returning, her city Chrestivka was already occupied by Russian occupiers. As a result, her family had to move to the Dnipropetrovsk region, where they tried to start a new life. However, Russia attacked again, and Tetiana had to start a new life for the second time.
Nowadays, Tetiana volunteers for the organization „NetsForUA” and has been a choir member since the summer of 2022. She says singing acts as therapy for her, especially when performing Ukrainian folk songs.
Concerts and cooperation with a professional conductor
The choir has been in existence since April 2022. It is not an amateur group, as most participants have musical education or experience in other ensembles. The choir’s repertoire consists mainly of traditional Ukrainian folk songs.
The group has already had several large and intimate concerts, as well as numerous collaborations with local organizations and cultural centers. The artists perform in vibrant and colorful costumes they sewed themselves. Additionally, each participant brought a hand-embroidered shirt from Ukraine.
For the second year in a row, twice a week, the women meets for rehearsals in a local Jesuit church and at the „Spójnik” Association.
Last year, the choir has been guided by Ukrainian conductor Anastasiia Modrakova, who was acquainted with one of the participants.
Anastasiia, a graduate of the Lviv Academy of Music, has been living in Poznań since 2021, where she also studies at the Academy of Music. Her migration experience was laden with stress and homesickness, so she decided to help the choir develop on a voluntary basis. Anastasiia understands how challenging it is for them to adapt to a new environment and sees great potential and energy in the group.
Creating sense of home and promoting Ukrainian songs
Most participants would love to return to Ukraine, but the choir helps them to bring a sense of home in Poland. Singing in the group also gives them the opportunity to promote Ukrainian culture abroad.
„We sing to make Ukrainian songs sound abroad, for our children to grow up in the cultural environment of our homeland, to show our culture to the Poles who have warmly welcomed us,” says Natalia.
„Singing in the choir reminds me of those times and family gatherings, important to my heart, which unfortunately will never happen again in my life,” Tetiana adds.
Currently, the choir is actively working on a new repertoire and is ready to perform throughout Poland. The group’s conductor adds that the Polish and Ukrainian music scenes has much in common. Moreover, many Polish composers were born in Ukraine, creating strong cultural ties.
These concerts are necessary for popularizing Ukrainian music and its development. We have a huge heritage of spiritual and choral music, and spiritual music generally has one of the greatest legacies in the world,” adds Anastasiia. According to the conductor, Ukrainian academic music deserves to be heard in world philharmonics. This is the goal Anastasiia strives to achieve in her work, while the choir helps women with refugee experience preserve and pass on Ukrainian culture to future generations.
his publication was prepared with the support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of UAinKrakow.pl and in no way can be considered to reflect the views of UNHCR. For more information about UNHCR and assistance available in Poland: https://help.unhcr.org/poland/uk/
You can also read this article in Ukrainian
Text:Maria Andruchiw
