The six-month Coal and Steel Songs project culminates in three concerts in Kryvyy Rih, Dnipro, Kyiv, Goethe-Institut Ukraine reports.
Over several months, young composers selected through an open call explored the theme of Ukraine’s heavy industry. They delved into the history and collective memory of the industrial East, learned about coal mining, and saw production first-hand during a visit to Zaporizhstal. They recorded the sounds of the plant at work and collected scrap materials used later in the installation.
The concerts feature six new works for ensemble with electronics, with the installation shown beforehand.
Among the project’s composers are artists from eastern regions of Ukraine for whom the idea of Coal and Steel Songs carries personal weight: Volodymyr Rudenko (Zaporizhzhya), Valeriya Vynohradova (Berdyansk), Maksym Ivanov (Kryvyy Rih). For them, industrial landscapes are woven into childhood memories and their earliest understanding of the world. Revisiting their past, they trace the region’s evolution and uncover the beauty long hidden in its industrial identity.
The young composers’ works took shape under the mentorship of German composer and musicologist Sven-Ingo Koch. Koch grew up in the Ruhr region, known for its steelmaking; his father spent some time working in a coal mine. He has collaborated with the orchestras of SWR, WDR, Bavarian Radio, the Arditti Quartet, contemporary music ensembles Musikfabrik, Ensemble Modern, Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Ascolta, Ensemble Recherche, Ensemble Resonanz, Neue Vocalsolisten, among others. His accolades include the Stuttgart and Rome Prizes.
“I grew up in the Ruhr area and clearly remember the red sky during evening walks. Locals would say Christ Child was baking biscuits. Of course, I didn’t think about pollution then. Later, I often visited former mines that had been transformed into concert halls. Their acoustics are remarkable. It’s fascinating to watch these industrial spaces find new life,” says Sven-Ingo Koch.
As part of the Coal and Steel Songs project, a discussion titled What Is Ukraine’s Industrial East? will also take place, focusing on markers of identity among Ukrainians from the East, as well as the past, present, and future of cities shaped by industrial heritage.
Schedule of events:
Concert in Kryvyy Rih, 27 November at 6:30 p.m. at the T. Shevchenko Theatre
Concert in Dnipro, 28 November at 6:00 p.m. at the Dnipro Centre for Contemporary Culture
Concert in Kyiv, 5 December at 6:00 p.m. at the National Philharmonic of Ukraine
Open discussion — 3 December at the Goethe-Institut in Ukraine
Works and concert participants:
Tetyana Khoroshun — madrigal for ensemble and electronics
Mykhaylo Romanyshyn — 2-3-2-1 for ensemble and electronics
Valeriya Vynohradova — domna 0 for ensemble and electronics
Maksym Ivanov — The Crimson Dust for ensemble
Valeriya Svyryda — Manus et umbra for ensemble and electronics
Volodymyr Rudenko — Ode to Fire for ensemble
Ensemble 24: Krystyna Hordiyenko (violin), Khrystyna Merchuk (cello), Maksym Ivanov (flute), Nazar Yarmolyuk (clarinet), Yaroslav Hres (clarinet), Yuliya Shevchenko (French horn), Adrian Shyyko (trombone), Anastasiya Sabadash (percussion), Anton Kedrovskyy (conductor), Maryna Shchehelska, visual artist.
Project organisers: Goethe-Institut in Ukraine, Centre for Young Music, Ensemble 24, KRCC.
The Territories of Culture project is produced in partnership with Persha Pryvatna Brovarnya and is dedicated to exploring the history and transformation of Ukrainian cultural identity.