Ukrainian Odyssey

Contents: 12 symphonic tracks and 12 music videos.

‘Ukrainian Odyssey’ is Mariia Yaremak’s most ambitious symphonic project to date, building on the success of ‘Ukrainian Fantasy’. It is a musical tapestry comprising 12 compositions that guide the listener through key milestones in our history: from the magical Trypillia culture and the era of Kyivan Rus’ to the Cossacks and the current state of war, represented by the track ‘We Are Here’.

Concept and epic sound 

To bring her vision to life, the composer has combined a large symphony orchestra and choir with authentic folk sounds – the bandura, cimbalom and trembita. It is cinematic storytelling, where every melody forms part of a grand journey through our identity.

Hollywood mentorship and support 

The project received recognition at the highest international level even before its official premiere. The project’s consultants and mentors were masters of the global film and gaming industries:

• Clint Badjakian (composer for Star Wars and World of Warcraft).
• Penka Kuneva (Grammy Award winner, who has worked on League of Legends and Moana 2).
• Stuart Earl (composer for the TV series “Black Mirror”), who described Mariia as “a new voice in contemporary composition who is well worth keeping a close eye on”.
• Kim Sharnberg (composer of Broadway musicals).

The project team 

Ukrainian artists and ensembles came together to record ‘Ukrainian Odyssey’: the Ivano-Frankivsk Philharmonic Academic Symphony Orchestra, the ‘Voskresinnia’ chamber choir, Maksym Berezhnyuk, Uliana Horbachevska and Yarema Pavliv. Roman Dzundza served as musical director, whilst Volodymyr Punko, the first Ukrainian to win a Latin Grammy Award, acted as sound engineer.

The project is being implemented with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation and the NGO ‘Centre for Creative Industries and Technological Innovations’.