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The Ukrainian choir \u201cSongs for Ukraine\u201d took part in the closing segment of Britain\u2019s King Charles III\u2019s annual Christmas address, performing a traditional carol.<\/p>\n
The choir shared<\/a> the news on its Facebook page on December 25.<\/p>\n Every article pushes back against disinformation. Your support keeps our team in the field.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n DONATE NOW<\/a><\/div>\n The performance took place at Westminster Abbey, where the ensemble presented a new arrangement of Carol of the Bells<\/em>, inspired by Shchedryk<\/em> by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych.<\/p>\n Soloists Olha Terletska and Arina Koroletska were joined by members of the Royal Opera Chorus, royal harpist Mared Pugh-Evans, and military musicians from the Royal Air Force Brigade, the Royal Marines, and the Household Division.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been a great honour for our choir to be part of The King’s Christmas Broadcast. Our chorus remains a powerful voice for the Ukrainian community in the UK, many of whom have been forced from their homes by war,\u201d “, said Bohdan Parashchak, Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Songs for Ukraine Chorus. <\/p>\n The choir said that as Ukraine nears the end of a fourth year of full-scale war, \u201cwith peace still out of reach,\u201d such moments help keep the country in public focus and reinforce the strong bonds between the United Kingdom and Ukraine.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udf84 Ukrainian choir Songs for Ukraine performed \u201cCarol of the Bells,\u201d the English version of Mykola Leontovych\u2019s \u201cShchedryk,\u201d during King Charles III\u2019s Christmas address at Westminster Abbey. \u2014 UNITED24 Media (@United24media) December 25, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n \u201cThrough the beauty of Ukrainian music, we are reminded that even in the darkest times, light can shine, bringing hope, resilience, and joy at Christmas,\u201d the choir added.<\/p>\n Additionally, the musical score of Shchedryk<\/em> by Mykola Leontovych is now displayed<\/a> on one of the walls of New York\u2019s most prestigious concert venue, Carnegie Hall.<\/p>\n According to the Ukrainian Institute on December 25, a high-quality facsimile of Leontovych\u2019s manuscript was recently transferred to the institution and installed at Carnegie Hall as a symbol of the historical continuity of Ukraine\u2019s musical presence on this stage, from the work\u2019s North American premiere in 1922 to Ukraine\u2019s contemporary cultural diplomacy. It was after that first performance in the United States that the melody rapidly gained popularity and later became known worldwide as the Christmas anthem Carol of the Bells<\/em>.<\/p>\n Liubov Morozova, program manager for the Music direction at the Ukrainian Institute, recalled that the world premiere of Shchedryk<\/em> took place on December 29, 1916, in the building that now houses the National Philharmonic of Ukraine. <\/p>\n Between 1919 and 1921, the piece was performed abroad during touring concerts of the Ukrainian Republican Capella under the direction of Oleksandr Koshyts in Czechoslovakia, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, and other European countries.<\/p>\n Shchedryk<\/em> was first performed at Carnegie Hall on October 5, 1922. It returned to the same stage on June 18, 1990, performed by the Dudaryk Choir under the direction of Mykola Katsal.<\/p>\n\n
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