Beethoven 5

Live recording of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra performing Beethoven 5, conducted by Keri-Lynn Wilson.

Deutsche Grammophon (DG) will release the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra (UFO) and conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson’s emotionally charged performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 on February 24, 2026, to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The recording, captured live in Vilnius, Lithuania, during the UFO’s 2025 Resilience Tour, is dedicated to the Ukrainian people and their struggle. It follows the success of the orchestra’s unique Ukrainian-language version of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, which DG released in 2024. Beethoven’s Fifth is accompanied by the premiere of a powerful new work by Ukrainian composer Maxim Kolomiiets, Suite from The Mothers of Kherson. This suite is a moving tribute to the Ukrainian women who made a 3,000-mile journey behind enemy lines to rescue their children forcibly detained by Russian authorities. The suite has been adapted from a new full-scale opera by Kolomiiets and librettist George Brant, which will have its world premiere at the Teatr Wielki–Polish National Opera in Warsaw in October 2026, before its Metropolitan Opera premiere in New York in the 2027–28 season.

Pre-order the album here: https://dgt.link/Wilson-UFO-Beethoven

Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra

Keri-Lynn Wilson is the founding conductor and music director of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra. The ensemble was created in 2022 in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion as a bold initiative to defend Ukraine’s cultural legacy as the country fights for its freedom. It brings together leading Ukrainian musicians from inside and outside the country and is a collaboration between the Metropolitan Opera, the Polish National Opera and The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture. The orchestra’s honorary patron is Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska.

The UFO assembles each summer and its three international tours have so far taken in some of the most prestigious concert halls, as well as some of the great cathedrals, of Europe and the United States. These include the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Lincoln Center in New York City, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, St Paul’s Cathedral in London and Saint Eustache in Paris. The 2024 Beethoven Ninth Freedom Tour celebrated the symphony’s 200th anniversary with a unique version of the work featuring its inspirational choral cry of freedom, “Ode to Joy,” sung in Ukrainian and included a concert, symbolic of the struggle against oppression, in the Gdansk Shipyards in Poland, birthplace of the Solidarity Movement.

The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra tours each summer. Details for each tour are made available on the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra’s website here.

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In December, 2020, when Covid was peaking, I was with the @operadeparis which was still bravely attempting to carry on with a revival of its hit production of Calixto Bieito’s Carmen. We made it to the penultimate rehearsal when the health cris

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New Deutsche Grammophon Release

Deutsche Grammophon (DG) will release the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra (UFO) and conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson’s emotionally charged performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 on February 24, 2026, to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The recording, captured live in Vilnius, Lithuania, during the UFO’s 2025 Resilience Tour, is dedicated to the Ukrainian people and their struggle. It follows the success of the orchestra’s unique Ukrainian-language version of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, which DG released in 2024. Beethoven’s Fifth is accompanied by the premiere of a powerful new work by Ukrainian composer Maxim Kolomiiets, Suite from The Mothers of Kherson. This suite is a moving tribute to the Ukrainian women who made a 3,000-mile journey behind enemy lines to rescue their children forcibly detained by Russian authorities. The suite has been adapted from a new full-scale opera by Kolomiiets and librettist George Brant, which will have its world premiere at the Teatr Wielki–Polish National Opera in Warsaw in October 2026, before its Metropolitan Opera premiere in New York in the 2027–28 season. Presave the album here: https://dgt.link/Wilson-UFO-Beethoven

Maestro Wilson Conducts Carmen at Opéra National de Paris

Maestro Wilson returns to the Opéra national de Paris to conduct multiple performances of Bizet’s Carmen from February 7 through March 19, 2026.

Stéphanie d'Oustrac sings Carmen with Russell Thomas as Don José from February 7 to March 3, and Victoria Karkacheva sings Carmen with Jean‑François Borras as Don José from March 7 to 19. Amina Edris appears as Micaëla, and Erwin Schrott performs as Escamillo.

Performances take place on February 7, 10, 13, 19, 22, 25, 28 and March 3, 7, 10, 13, 16, and 19, 2026.Tickets and additional information can be found here.

Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra – Honorary Ambassador in the field of Cultural Diplomacy

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF UKRAINE

On December 22, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine held the Honorary Ambassador of Ukraine 2025 award ceremony, honouring individuals and teams who strengthened Ukraine’s position worldwide.

Congratulations to the 2025 awardees! They are:

Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra – Honorary Ambassador in the field of Cultural Diplomacy

Oleksandr Usyk – Honorary Ambassador in the field of Sports Diplomacy

Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen – Honorary Ambassador in the field of Expert Diplomacy

Felicity Spector – Honorary Ambassador in the field of Culinary Diplomacy

MHP – Honorary Ambassador in the field of Economic Diplomacy

The team of the Faculty of Law, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy – Honorary Ambassadors in the field of Scientific and Educational Diplomacy

Caolan Robertson – Honorary Ambassador in the field of Digital Diplomacy

Vyshyvanka Day – winner in the field of Cultural Heritage

Yurii Shevelov – winner in the “Cause of Life” category (posthumously)

The ceremony took place on Diplomatic Service Day and was attended by First Lady Olena Zelenska, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, diplomats, artists, public leaders, and media representatives.

Andrii Sybiha emphasised that Ukrainian diplomacy has united the world around Ukraine and that cultural diplomacy is a key part of this process. He noted that Ukrainian culture is an element of national security.

The event was held with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Ukraine.

The Russian Forces are no match for the power of Ukraine’s cultural legacy

-The Globe and Mail

Photo: Yurii Gryaznov