Chernihiv and Anysiv 24.08.2026

This was the best Independence Day in recent years. The volunteers from the INBUT camp invited everyone—those whose homes are being rebuilt, neighbors, young people from partner NGOs in Anysiv and Chernihiv, and, of course, our defenders. Ulyana—may she rest in peace (how hard it is to write those words)—organized a common *varenyky*-making session (it reminded me of our family preparations for the holidays).
Every toast brought tears of gratitude; our singing kept the spirits awake; our dancing and hugs provided strength and faith... all thanks to these incredibly bold, spirited young Ukrainians who chose to stay, and these wonderful, daring people from all over the world who come here to help rebuild. Against all odds.
There was also a meeting with the incredible Halyna Tykhonivna and her friends—who are singers. I truly look forward to returning to see Halyna- once again, I felt that I was meeting a truly special woman—a guardian and a giver—who shares so generously and joyfully. I also met Vira and Dariya from the Youth Center in Chernihiv and took part in a workshop. It was such a joy to see that the city remains alive precisely because of these strong, radiant young women. I love you all and look forward to coming back.
Yesterday, Hafiya sent photos of a completed house, along with updates on the progress of others. I look at these photographs and want to share with you all this very sense of tenacious life—in defiance of the death with which russia terrorizes us. The war is now in its fifth year. Young people from all over the world are rebuilding homes destroyed by the russians. Our daughter and her friends are overseeing the construction. In the village of Anysiv, there is a youth center, and a museum and archive have been established at the local school; these people have endured the horrors of occupation, yet they have not been broken. Love never ends.
RAI perform in Cologne Philharmonic Hall

Our RAI - deutsch-ukrainischer Chor is a unique community of diverse, exceptional, and motivated individuals brought together by the desire to seek—through song— that mystery, which has inspired singing across all eras and cultures.
It was a joy to perform *Drevo/Otche Nash* and *Oy Borovaya* at the packed Cologne Philharmonie, and to meet wonderful choirs with whom we now dream of collaborating in the future.
Our next performance, alongside the Mravalo choir under the direction of Tamar Buadze, is scheduled for November 22, followed by another appearance as part of the Philharmonic concert series on May 6.

"Love grows from love"

"Love grows from love"—such was the motto of the Literaturny Yaкmarok.
Thank you, Kharkiv; thank you,   Olena Pavlova and Serhiy Zhadan, for this celebration of life and the Word, and for the chance to be a part of it.
Thank you for all your feedback and hugs. For meeting in person for the first time and for new friendship; for unexpected meetings—like the ones with Virlana Tkach and Julian Kytasty, and even... Angelina Jolie at the legendary Trypichchia.
I have no words to express how I feel when I think of Vasylisa and Mariia from UYAVA. You are so young yourselves, yet you do so much for—and with—young people: those beautiful, stubborn, brave, and creative souls who LIVE and WORK in Kharkiv, despite of ruZZias’s GREAT EVIL AND TERROR.
Thanks to Vasylisa and UYAVA, we were also able to visit Izium. I had been there six months ago, and it is terrifying to see fresh wounds on a town that кussian terrorists are once again trying to destroy. This time, we had the chance to take a quiet look at the exhibition in the Local History Museum—created by Halyna together with artists from Izium who survived the occupation and managed to document the crimes, turning them into a testament. Now, I dream of seeing this exhibition in Germany and across Europe. For it is hard to believe that what is shown there is not the aftermath of excavations following World War I or II, but rather the very "equipment" with which this so-called "second army of the world" arrived on our land in 2022...
Afterwards, we went to visit Ms. Olena, the mother of Volodya Vakulenko. Her words—quoting a poem by Viktor Teren—now shine in my mind: "Life does not end with death if a garden remains." It turns out Volodya had cleared away a rubbish heap and planted a garden. And all the trees took root. Ms. Olena has a garden by her house, too, and a veritable paradise of a vegetable patch behind it. The front line is just 15 kilometers away. People are planting flowers and vegetables. Life is flourishing just 15 kilometers from death.
Premier in Dusseldorf . "7 Todünden"

 I am very moved and inspired by the opportunity to collaborate with such wonderful performers - for the piece in D-Haus Central.. We faced a rather challenging task: to create a performance centered on the sin of powerlessness and despair. Yet—thanks to the poetry of our incredible Yuliia Paevska, ArturDron and Kateryna Kalytko—we managed to create the very opposite: our stubborn hope, our struggle and life in defiance of the  russian agression and our choice to resist. https://www.dhaus.de/programm/spielplan/7-todsuenden7-kuenstlerinnen7-orte/2884/

Premier on "Explaining Ukraine від UkraineWorld та Internews Ukraine"

Ukrainian traditional music has preserved one of the richest traditions of polyphonic singing in the world.

It has survived centuries of oppression, oblivion, marginalisation, and even physical extermination. Despite all this, there have always been people in Ukraine who travelled to villages, talked to local singers, listened to their songs, and recorded them. Thanks to their work, this tradition remains alive — not only in the villages themselves, but also in archival recordings, on stage, and increasingly in modern interpretations. Today, we are going to talk about this extraordinary tradition.

Review for my performance with Kronos Quartet

 Rebecca Wishnia: "Had the program ended after these five short, consonant works, it would have been a forgettable evening. Fortunately, for the last 20 minutes of the program Ukrainian composer/vocalist/harmonium player Mariana Sadovska joined Kronos in a riveting performance of her Chernobyl.The Harvest, a piece that, at last, made an impact.

With a richly complex text that intermixes fragments from the official announcement of the evacuation plan with traditional widow songs and lullabies, Sadovska’s work reflects on the Chernobyl disaster and the resiliency of survivors. Much of the piece — the driving post-minimalist string passages, the harmonium’s droning like radio static — evokes industry, yet there are also mournful melodies, including a particularly moving viola-voice duet in the first movement.
 
Sadovska has described herself as “more a singing storyteller than a composer,” and Chernobyl.The Harvest is less a chamber work than a monodrama, immersive as a story and large in scope. Sadovska is a nuanced and emotive performer who, despite singing in a language few San Francisco audience members understand, commands the stage. If her performance at times grew extravagant, it at least had a strong point of view, taking the risks that were so lacking in the first part of the program. This was a souvenir worth keeping" https://www.sfcv.org/articles/review/only-risk-rewards-kronos-festival

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