On June 4 in Kyiv the world premiere of the concert version of the opera “Mothers of Kherson” by composer Maksym Kolomiyets will take place. The performance will be held on the stage of the National Opera of Ukraine.
This was announced by the Ministry of Culture.
The work is based on real stories of mothers from Kherson who, after the occupation, traveled across the territory of Russia and several countries to return their children who were illegally taken to Crimea. According to the plot, two women overcome more than four thousand kilometers to save their daughters.
The libretto for the opera was written by American playwright George Brant, and the Ukrainian translation was made by writer Myroslav Laiuk. The work was created on a joint commission by the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Polish National Opera in Warsaw.
The production will be conducted by Canadian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson. The performance will feature the orchestra and choir of the National Opera of Ukraine, the children’s choir of the Kyiv State Music Lyceum named after Lysenko, and the ensemble “Kyiv Camerata”.
The leading roles will be performed by Maryana Mazur, Anastasia Povazhna, Sofiya Soloviy, Anastasia Dovbius, Anzhelina Shvachka, Vitalii Rozdaigora and Taras Berezhanskyi.
The staged world premiere of the opera is scheduled for October 2026 in Warsaw. After that, the production will be presented at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in the 2027-2028 season.
It was previously reported that at the National Museum “Kyiv Art Gallery” an exhibition will open “Kherson. Shovkunenko. Saved”.