Music at the Institute

Music of Resilience: Ukrainian Voices and Beyond
Saturday, September 19, 2026 | 7:30 PM 

Music at the Institute (MATI) presents Music of Resilience: Ukrainian Voices and Beyond, a special concert celebrating the release of the new NAXOS album Music of Resilience. Violinist Solomiya Ivakhiv is joined by conductor Shou-Ping Liu, the New England Chamber Orchestra, and soprano Andrea Nalywajko for a program that brings the album to the concert stage and highlights Ukrainian musical voices alongside works by Mendelssohn and Mahler. The evening features compositions by Yuriy Shevchenko, Bohdana Frolyak, Felix Mendelssohn, Ihor Sonevytsky, Gustav Mahler, and Dale Wilson, including three world premieres.

The MATI program is a ticketed event and advance registration is requested. A light reception will follow the concert.

General Admission: $40
UIA Friends, Seniors, and Students: $35
UIA Members: $30

PROGRAM

Yuriy Shevchenko We Are! We Do Exist!

Bohdana Frolyak Nocturne for Violin and Strings

Felix Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in D minor, MWV O 3

Ihor Sonevytsky A Lullaby’s Lament (arr. Bohdana Frolyak for soprano and chamber orchestra) — World Premiere

The Serenity of Your Smile (arr. Bohdana Frolyak for soprano and chamber orchestra) — World Premiere

Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 4, IV. Das himmlische Leben (arr. Klaus Simon for soprano and chamber orchestra)

Dale Wilson Khortytsia — World Premiere

PERFORMED BY

Solomiya Ivakhiv, violin

Andrea Nalywajko, soprano

Shou-Ping Liu, conductor

New England Chamber Orchestra

ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS

Solomiya Ivakhiv, Professor of Violin and Viola and Head of Strings at the University of Connecticut, and Professor of Violin at the Longy School of Music of Bard College, was named a Merited Artist of Ukraine (2021). She is Artistic Director of Music at the Institute (MATI) in New York and the Caspian Music Festival in Vermont. Her recordings for NAXOS, Brilliant Classics, and Centaur feature both Ukrainian composers and major classical repertoire, and she is a dedicated champion of new music with numerous world premieres to her credit.

Soprano Andrea Nalywajko is a senior at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, where she studies with Nancy Gustafson. Her operatic credits include Orpheus in the Underworld, The Pirates of Penzance, The Merry Widow, and L’incoronazione di Poppea. A longtime member of the Grammy Award-winning National Children’s Chorus, she has performed at Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and St. Peter’s Basilica. She has also appeared as a soloist with the Caspian Music Festival and Waterbury Symphony Orchestra.

Taiwanese-American conductor Shou Ping Liu has led orchestras across Europe, Asia, and the United States. In 2022, she earned her master’s degree in orchestral conducting from the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin and made debuts with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin and at Carnegie Hall. Her engagements have included the South Denmark Philharmonic, George Enescu Philharmonic, Magdeburg Philharmonic, and Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt. Liu is Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Orchestral Studies at Connecticut College and Artistic Director of the New England Chamber Orchestra.

New England Chamber Orchestra (NECO) has a mission of discovering rarely performed orchestral works and introducing them in their historical context. Each concert is dedicated to a specific theme that is relevant to what is happening in the world today. Musicians in NECO also pride themselves on their passion for educating the next generation. Our principal musicians participate regularly in workshops and residencies in colleges as well as programs collaborating with high schools in Connecticut. Since its inception in 2024, NECO has participated annually in Connecticut Orchestra Month as one of Connecticut’s nine professional orchestras.