“Khreschatyk” Chamber Choir

“Khreschatyk” Chamber Choir is a professional mixed vocal body.

The Choir was found in April 1994 and called after the central street of Kiev.

The Choir acquired the status of ‘municipal’ in 1999, and has been financed by the Kievan Mayor’s Office since then.

In December 2009, the ensemble became ‘academic’. From February 2011 the official name “Khreschatyk” Academic Chamber Choir.

Honoured Art Worker of Ukraine Larisa Bukhonskaya was the Choir founder and its Artistic Director until 2007.

Since August 2007, after winning a representative contest, Pavel Struts, previously a long-standing Coryphaeus, became the Choir’s Artistic Director. The honorary title of Distinguished Artist of Ukraine was awarded to Pavel Struts in December 2009.

Since its first performance, the priority of Khreschatyk has been to play music by modern Ukrainian composers, so over the years of its existence the Choir has played over a 2080 (31.12.2011) musical pieces, including circa 838 premieres. The most outstanding of those have been: Choir Cantata setting Lina Kostenko’s ‘Oda vechnosti’ (Ode to Eternity) by composer Igor Scherbakov, and ‘Svyaty Bozhe’ (Holy God) by composer Mikhail Shukh. The setting of ‘Zolotoslov’ Opera by Lesya Dychko (for two choirs, soloists and drama actors) deserves special mentioning.

Composers with great relish provide their music to the Choir because of ‘the clearness and beauty of the sound, profound poetry and revelation of underlying dramaturgy of compositions’, which distinct the Khreschatyk’s performance manner.

Just in the last two years, the Choir has performed 53 world premieres by contemporary Ukrainian composers at the National Festivals ‘Gold-domed Kiev’, ‘Musical Premieres of the Season’ and ‘Kiev Music Fest’.

However, the ensemble goes beyond that. It has on its repertoire miscellaneous programs recognized as the treasures of world cultural heritage – from Western European classics to modern adaptations of folk and popular music.

Over the last two years, Khreschatyk has performed: «Die Schopfung», «Missa in Angustiis» Franz Joseph Haydn, «Requiem» Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, «Ein deutsches Requiem» Johannes Brahms, «Carmina Burana» Carl Orff, Sinfonie No. 8 Gustav Mahler, Mass for Chorus and Wind Orchestra Igor' Stravinskiy, Mass No. 2 (e moll) for Chorus and Wind Orchestra Anton Bruckner, Symphonie №2 (B-dur) (Symphonie-Cantate nach Worten) Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, «Gloria», «Magnifikat» Antonio Vivaldi, «Chichester Psalms» Leonard Bernstein, Masses Franz Schubert and many more.

The setting of a major project called ‘Annual sun cycle of Ukrainian ceremonial singing’ consisting of four parts – Sky and Earth, Maiden Spring, Kupal's'kiy Bog and Wedding bread, came as a real milestone for the Choir. The project harmoniously combined in itself academic choir compositions dedicated to appropriate seasons, poetic context and choreographic elements styled to the atmosphere of the ceremony and folk celebrations. Novelties in the genre of ‘choir theatre’ invariably have great repercussions and success. The ‘spring’ part of the project was presented to the public in summer 2008 during the Choir’s European tour in Berlin, Paris, Prague and Poznan (Poland). The performances and 65 music pieces that constitute this part of the project were audio-recorded.

Apart from those records, in the last two years Khreschatyk recorded «Lliturgy Saint John Chrysostom » Kyryla Stecenka, «Gloria» и «Magnifikat» Antonio Vivaldi, the Anthology of Ukrainian popular song, which embraced best classical and contemporaneous adaptations of folk songs, as well as materials to the collection of music by contemporary Ukrainian composers (Cantata by V. Antonyuk setting T. Shevchenko, triptych ‘Porclain Pavilion’ by A. Bezborodko setting N. Gumilev, two audio CDs featuring all choir heritage (43 pieces) of composer L. Yaschenko and choir cicle ‘Blessed Man’ for mixed choir by T. Ivanitskaya).

The excellence of Choir’s rendition is corroborated by its victories at international contests and festivals:

• Grand-Prix of the VIIth Norwich Irish Sligo International Choir Festival (Ireland 1994);
• ІІІrd prize of the XVIIth B. Bartok Competition in Debretsen (Hungary 1996);
• Іst prize in the folk program of the Іst Mendelsohn-Bartholdy Contest in Daupfetal (Germany 1996);
• ІІnd prize of the ХХІth International Contest of Orthodox Music in Hajn?wka (Poland 2002).

After refraining from taking part in contests for some years, Khreschatyk won Vocal Floriliege de Tour choir competition (France) in the ‘Chamber Choir’ category in 2008.

Khreschatyk performed at the following international festivals:

• Europatref» in Hjorring (Denmark 1996);
• Art Sacre in Paris (France 1996);
• Riga Dimd in Riga (Latvia 1997);
• Spotkania muzyczne in Bielsk (Poland 1998);
• IInd All-Russian A. Koshitsa Contest (Moscow 2000);
• Days of Ukrainian culture in Russia (Moscow 2001);
• IIIrd International Choir Festival in Szczecin (Poland 2002);
• International Festival of Church Choir Music in Santander (Spain 2003);
• Festival International de Musique Universitaire (France 2003);
• Sacred Music Festival in Cz?stochowa (Poland 2004);
• XXVth International Choir Festival in Santurtzi (France 2004);
• Ukrainska Wiosna in Pozna? (Poland 2008);
• Festivals en Confluence in Berthenay (France 2008);
• Vth Miedzynarodowiy festiwal Muzycznego Trzesacz in Szczecin (Poland 2009);
• Miedzynarodowy Festiwal Muzyki Organowej Kameralnej w Kameniu Pomorskim in Kamie? Pomorski (Poland 2009).