Songs of Solidarity An Evening of Lithuanian + Ukrainian Jazz and Friendship

The Ukrainian Institute of America, in partnership with the Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania and the Lithuanian Culture Institute, are pleased to present.

Songs of Solidarity
An Evening of Ukrainian + Lithuanian Jazz and Friendship

featuring

Andrey Chmut – saxophone (Ukraine)
Domas Žeromskas – piano (Lithuania)
Ian Quinton Banno – upright bass (USA)
Héctor L. Falu Guzmán – drums (Puerto Rico)

Thursday, November 13, 2025 at 7:30 PM
2 East 79th Street  New York, NY 10075

A wine reception will follow the concert. Advance registration is requested.

General admission: $30 / UIA Friends: $25 / UIA Members: $20

The concert celebrates the spirit of friendship and artistic collaboration between Ukraine and Lithuania, uniting our communities through music, fellowship, and shared resilience. Born of mutual support and creative partnership, it offers an evening of reflection, hope, and harmony through the universal language of jazz.

This project brings together four musicians, each contributing a distinct yet harmonious musical and cultural voice. All four are accomplished composers and bandleaders whose artistry is shaped by the histories and present realities of their respective homelands, as well as by their shared commitment to beauty, faith, and truth. Their program weaves together original compositions, sacred and traditional pieces, and reimagined freedom songs that have long inspired the endurance and spirit of their nations.

The Ukrainian Institute of America expresses its deepest gratitude to the Lithuanian Consulate in New York for sponsoring this evening of music and friendship.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Ukrainian saxophonist Andrey Chmut discovered his passion for music through a chance encounter with a church saxophonist in his hometown of Medzhybizh. Despite limited means and early discouragement, his determination carried him through studies at Kyiv’s Glière Music College, from which he graduated in 2015. He soon toured internationally with Eurovision winner Jamala, refining his stagecraft and sound. A collaboration with jazz legend Bob James proved transformative, leading to performances across Ukraine, London, and the United States, and to a Grammy-nominated album. Now based in the U.S., Andrey continues to share music that speaks to resilience, faith, and human connection.

Lithuanian pianist and composer Domas Žeromskas has emerged as one of the most promising young voices in European jazz. A native of Vilnius, he began performing with leading local musicians as a teenager and released his debut album, Infinite Itinerant, at eighteen. Since then, he has collaborated and toured internationally with Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Tom Scott, and Gregory Tardy, among others, and appeared with the Euroradio Jazz Orchestra hosted by WDR. His 2024 release, Meditations on Providence and Perseverance, Vol. 1, further showcases his lyrical and searching style. Based in Boston, he is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and a master’s candidate at the New England Conservatory.

Bassist Ian Quinton Banno is a versatile performer active throughout the New England music scene. Equally at home in jazz, classical, R&B, Afro-Caribbean, and Indian traditions, he has appeared at the Newport, DC, and Montreal Jazz Festivals and at leading venues in New York and Boston. His collaborations include performances with Jacques Schwarz-Bart and other prominent artists, and his commitment to education has brought him to masterclasses at Princeton, MIT, and institutions in Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Lithuania. His playing is distinguished by its warmth, adaptability, and deep musical curiosity.

Drummer and composer Héctor L. Falu Guzmán brings the rhythmic vitality of Puerto Rico to a wide range of musical settings. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, he studied with Francisco Mela, Billy Kilson, and Yoron Israel, and has since performed across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe. His collaborations include work with Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Gregory Tardy, Tom Scott, Domas Žeromskas, and Ron Reid. Both as a performer and composer, Héctor explores Puerto Rican identity, spirituality, and contemporary social themes through a vivid and adventurous musical language.