US-Ukraine Music Bridge

This created a relaxed atmosphere in which people were willing to communicate and reciprocate. Roger McMerin, a renowned American conductor, composer, and arranger, came to Ukraine with his wife Diana. His task was to familiarize Ukrainian audiences with religious music practically unknown under the Soviets. It was thus that the Kyiv Symphony and Choir, currently the capital’s pride, were born in August 1993. The company numbers 190 professional musicians. The project started by Roger McMerin had remarkable momentum and dynamism, something totally unfamiliar in the Ukrainian creative domain, so much so that it won both a great many exponents and quite a few opponents. The latter tried to find fault with its extremely sophisticated renditions selected by the American director. Even if they did (and there had to be some, for no creative process is something frozen in perfection), no one could deny the company’s tremendous impact on Ukraine’s musical life. From now on such grand compositions as Handel’s Messiah and Elijah; Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Magnificat and Passion of St. Matthew, Walton’s Feast of Balthasar, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Minotti’s opera Amal and Night Visitors, Black spirituals, and other as diversified renditions of the company are heard in the best concert halls of the capital and other Ukrainian cities.

Also, the US musician was elected President of the Kyiv Corporation Music Mission, Inc., collecting money for the company’s maintenance and for a number of charitable social, cultural, and educational programs.

Roger McMerin did more than discover Western music for Ukraine. He also discovered Ukrainian musician for America. Two concert tours have been organized. Last fall the company gave 46 concerts in 35 US cities and the repertoire included West European, American, and Ukrainian works. Recently, the Kyiv Symphony and Choir staged a concerted at the Ivan Franko National Theater, an occasion used to greet its US artistic director on his sixtieth birthday. Mr. McMerin declared that the company is going on yet another big tour of the United States. What better evidence that he is will not be content to wrest on his laurels. He wants the two-way traffic on the US-America musical bridge to increase.