American Festival Chorus & Orchestra with Conductor Craig Jessop. (Joined by Mezzo Soprano Aubrey Adams-McMillan and Baritone Errik Hood.) Arrangement by Kurt Bestor @kurtbestormusic

Live performance from The Cathedral of the Madeleine, SLC

#singwithukraine

Note from the composer:
Like many of you, I have been watching in disbelief and intense sadness as the independent country of The Ukraine has been invaded by neighboring Russia. I have felt helpless to do anything to help the people there with their suffering and it has made creating music almost impossible for me.

However, as I watched a news report the other day, I heard a group of Ukrainians, sequestered in a stuffy, dark, and dank bomb shelter deep beneath the capitol city of Kyiv, spontaneously sing their national anthem, "Sche ne Vmerla Ukrainy I Slava I Volia" (trans. The glory and freedom of Ukraine has not perished.) Though not a perfectly tuned and rehearsed rendition, never has a piece of music moved me so deeply.

I knew then what I wanted to do and that was to arrange their beautiful anthem in a way that captured all the emotions of their current plight; sadness and melancholy at losing their houses and homeland and pride in their identity as Ukrainians. Finally, I wanted to hint at what I hope is a glorious future for this brave people.

This song is my gift to any choir that wants to sing it. Please feel free to pass it along to other choral directors or singing groups you may know. I'll never know if it helps the cause of Ukrainian freedom or if anyone actually sings it. But, for the day or so I spent arranging it, I finally felt a modicum of peace.

-Kurt Bestor

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