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LIFE ACADEMIC

Music With a Message

Renowned musicians at the College, Volodymyr Vynnytsky and Natalia Khoma help strengthen the bond between their two countries – the United States and Ukraine – during a 2024 tour.
IN FEBRUARY 2020, ONE MONTH BEFORE the world shut down due to COVID-19, Volodymyr Vynnytsky, professor of piano and director of chamber music, and Natalia Khoma, professor of cello, were the featured soloists for the Ukrainian National Symphony Orchestra’s U.S. tour. As native Ukrainians, they were honored to be selected and enjoyed reconnecting with the members of the orchestra.
group photo of injured soldiers with Volodymyr Vynnytsky and Natalia Khoma
Volodymyr Vynnytsky and Natalia Khoma in Manassas, Va., with Ukrainian orchestra members and injured soldiers in the U.S. for treatment.
“The orchestra is like family,” says Vynnytsky, adding that, before the war with Russia broke out in February 2022, they would travel to Ukraine every year to conduct master classes, teach students and perform.

When offered to again join as the soloists with one of the finest orchestras in Europe for the February 2024 U.S. tour, Vynnytsky and Khoma immediately said yes. This time, however, the married couple knew they had a bigger role to play – as ambassadors. They realized they needed the U.S. audience to feel the hope and drive of the Ukrainian people who are struggling to save their culture and country.

“We should not forget what is happening in Ukraine,” says Khoma, who, together with her husband, has performed benefit concerts for Ukraine. “Every day, we watch the news with a heavy heart. The sadness has taken a toll on us, but we have to be united in efforts toward liberation. Ukrainians need support to win the war.”

For Khoma, music serves as a way to unite.

“Music is a means of communicating without words, which is very powerful,” she says. “It has healing properties and can convey hope and love, something that is very important for people.”

On the tour, during an interview on GBH public radio in Boston, the duo conveyed a powerful message through a piece Vynnytsky composed, “Wartime Tango.” The emotive, penetrating score gripped the hearts of listeners, just like the concertos performed on the tour.

“We were limited in what concertos we could play because the orchestra was smaller this time,” says Vynnytsky, noting that getting to the U.S. was much more challenging because the airport in Kyiv is closed. “Still, we were able to deliver honesty. It was a sold-out tour with many pieces that brought crowds to their feet and to call for encores.”

black and white photo of Volodymyr Vynnytsky and Natalia Khoma
At Helzberg Hall in Kansas City, Mo.
Adds Khoma: “Music offers a refuge to share Ukraine’s deep and beautiful culture, something we convey through our performances.”

Performances that began for the duo in 1991: Although both Vynnytsky and Khoma were born and raised in Lviv, Ukraine, and both studied at the Moscow Conservatory, it took a performance in New York City in 1991 for them to meet.

Their common history gave them an immediate connection, but it was when they played – Vynnytsky on piano and Khoma on cello – that they truly felt the connection.

When they performed in South Africa, an audience member told them that when they play, they communicate on a different level. It was then they realized they had something truly special – the soloists are soulmates.

“Sometimes it happens,” says Vynnytsky.

For nearly 20 years, they have been sharing their passion and knowledge with students at the College. Students have come from all over the world to learn from them.

“When you teach, you share your heart and soul,” says Vynnytsky. “It is so gratifying to see our students deliver their spirit when they perform.”

Just like their teachers. – Darcie Goodwin

| GBH/Boston Public Radio |