Orchestral premiere of ‘Ukrainian Fantasy’

The orchestral premiere of the ‘Ukrainian Fantasy’ project took place on 8 November 2025 in the unique atmosphere of the Garrison Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Lviv. Mariia Yaremak took on the roles of composer, arranger and pianist, presenting a large-scale programme together with the INSO-Lviv orchestra under the baton of conductor Roman Kreslenko, with Andrii Yatskiv responsible for the ethnic wind instruments.

The premiere programme embodied the concept of ‘musical storytelling’, in which traditional Ukrainian melodies (‘Shchedryk’, ‘The Grey Cat’, ‘Oh, How It Was’) were given new life in contemporary orchestral arrangements, interwoven with Mariia’s original compositions, inspired by Ukrainian history and legends.

One of the most poignant moments of the evening was the performance of ‘Lullaby of Eternal Love’, as well as the Ukrainian national anthem, which the entire audience sang almost in a whisper, creating a sense of incredible unity and strength. During the performance of ‘Shchedryk’, the audience raised hundreds of torches, transforming the church into a magical stage.

The event attracted unprecedented interest: despite the lack of any large-scale publicity, the church was so packed that people were even occupying the balconies, which were undergoing restoration, whilst some of the audience stood outside by the open doors. Thanks to the concert, around 300,000 hryvnias were raised for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, specifically for the purchase of drones for the 54th Separate Mechanised Brigade named after Hetman Ivan Mazepa.

Videos from this premiere went viral on social media, racking up millions of views and confirming the audience’s strong demand for high-quality, contemporary Ukrainian music.