English Section
Follow us on Google

Follow us on Google to get our latest news at the top of your search results

Ukrainian opera 'The Mothers of Kherson' premieres in Warsaw

16.10.2026 00:30
"The Mothers of Kherson," an opera by Ukrainian composer Maxim Kolomiiets, is having its fully staged world premiere at the Polish National Opera in Warsaw on Friday.
A dress rehearsal for The Mothers of Kherson at the Polish National Opera in Warsaw, Oct. 13, 2026.
A dress rehearsal for 'The Mothers of Kherson' at the Polish National Opera in Warsaw, Oct. 13, 2026.Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka

The work, with a libretto by American playwright George Brant, is a tribute to Ukrainian women who are fighting to rescue their children forcibly detained by Russian authorities.

Born in 1981, Kolomiiets is a graduate of the National Music Academy in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where he studied oboe and composition.

His wide-ranging compositional output includes symphonic, chamber and electronic music.

The Mothers of Kherson is his third opera, after Espenbaum and Nitch.

Asked by Poland's PAP news agency whether music is able to communicate trauma, war and suffering, Kolomiiets said that music itself cannot speak about anything, but it can convey the emotions that accompany various situations and all types of human experience, including war.

"In this opera, music is a vehicle for evoking emotions – the sense of tragedy and pain, as well as love and euphoria, all of which I was trying to convey in the music's colour, melodic line and harmony," he added.

Kolomiiets expressed hope that everyone in the audience will find something close to their heart as The Mothers of Kherson touches upon universal matters.

The opera is a joint commission of the Polish National Opera and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson is the music director.

The production is directed by Barbara Wysocka, with sets by Barbara Hanicka.

Further performances of the opera are on October 18, 23, 25 and 27.

(mk/gs)