Charity concert for the Ukrainian Independence Day. Program

Charity concert for the Ukrainian Independence Day

24.08.2025 19:00 Temppeliaukio kirkko

Concert program:

Perespiv Choir – Oj Khodyt’ son (Ой ходить сон) and Pid zelenym yavirtsem (Під зеленим явірцем), conductor Volodymyr Andrushchak

I. Olenchyk – Caprice in Slavic Rhythms, Oleksandr Avramenko, clarinet

J. Sibelius – Impromptu, Op. 5, No. 5, Justas Stasevskij, piano

M. Lysenko – Without you, Olesya, for piano and cello

V. Silvestrov – Postlude No. 3, Lukas Stasevskij, cello; Justas Stasevskij, piano

C. Salzedo – Chanson dans la Nuit, Päivi Severeide, harp

Cellomania – Festive Anthem and Misirlou, Jaani Helander and Lukas Stasevskij, cellos

B. Lyatoshynsky – from String Quartet No. 4, Op. 43: IV. Andante sostenuto and V. Allegro Scherzando, Sebastian Silén, violin; Annemarie Åström, violin; Kerttu Tiebout, viola; Antonia Hägglund, cello

Intermission – 15 min

Y. Stepovyi – Prelude in Memory of Shevchenko for string orchestra

K. Hakola – Oravan laulu, Unelma, and Sydämeni laulu, from Seven Songs to Texts by Aleksis Kivi, versionfor baritone, string orchestra and harp, Volodymyr Andrushchak, baritone

M. Volynskyi – Eyes for baritone and strings, Volodymyr Andrushchak, baritone

Y. Stankovych – Novella for clarinet, flute, and strings, Iryna Gorkun-Silén, flute; Oleksandr Avramenko, clarinet

D. Danov – In the Shelter of Tenderness for string orchestra

Ukrainian traditional song – Tsvite Teren, arrangement for cello and orchestra, Lukas Stasevskij, cello

V. Silvestrov – Prayer for Ukraine, arrangement for cello and strings, Lukas Stasevskij, cello

Musicians:

Violin: Orest Smovzh, Joonas Pekonen, Elisar Riddelin, Pia Sundroos, Tanja Kortman, Anna-Maria Huohvanainen, Sofia Vinkel

Viola: Terhi Lehtiniemi, Tamar Gvazava, Sebastian Silén

Cello:Jaani Helander, Antonia Hägglund

Double Bass: Aida Salakka

About soloists:

Kateryna Kosetska
Kateryna Kosetska is an opera-symphonic conductor, founder of three orchestras, cultural manager, singer, civic activist, and volunteer. She led the Chamber Orchestra of the Kyiv House of Scientists of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and conducted the Rejouissance Orchestra. She is also a co-founder of the cultural project Ukrainian Space “Intelligentsia” and actively promotes Ukrainian language, music, and composers.

Since 2022, she has become the voice of musicians from three Ukrainian military orchestras captured in Mariupol, raising awareness about their fate. Alongside this work, Kateryna supports the Ukrainian army by assembling FPV kamikaze drones and serving as an FPV pilot herself. She also engages in civic initiatives, cultural projects, and public advocacy, including protests and campaigns in support of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Oleksandr Avramenko, clarinet
During his studies at the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine (class of Professor R. Vovk), Oleksandr became a laureate of several prestigious competitions as both a soloist and ensemble performer. He has worked as a soloist with the Opera Studio Orchestra of the National Music Academy of Ukraine, as a soloist with the Honored Academic Symphony Orchestra of the National Radio Company of Ukraine. He has taught clarinet at the R. Glier Kyiv Institute of Music, and he was a member of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine.

Currently, Oleksandr Avramenko is an artist with the Estonian National Opera in Tallinn and regularly performs as a guest musician with various orchestras and ensembles across Europe.

Justas Stasevskij, piano, a professional pianist and Finnish journalist with Ukrainian roots. Until 2022, Justas successfully combined a career as a concert pianist and teacher. After the full-scale war in Ukraine began, he radically changed his life: he became a journalist, regularly working on the ground in Ukraine and producing reports from the frontlines. His goal is to convey the truth about the war and the Ukrainian resistance to the Finnish audience, to explain the scale of the tragedy, and to show the strength of the people.

Lukas Stasevskij, cello
Lukas Stasevskij is a Finnish-Ukrainian cellist, film director, and cultural activist. He studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, the Basel Music Academy in Switzerland, and since 2021 at the Ukrainian Film School in Kyiv. He is the founder of Game Music Collective — Finland’s first orchestra dedicated to performing video game music. Lukas won 4th prize at the International Lutoslawski Cello Competition, 2011 and Penderecki prize at International Paulo Cello Competition, 2013.

After the full-scale invasion, Lukas decided to remain in Kyiv, where he began working on his film “My Ukrainian Rhapsody” (premiere in 2026). His cello has become a voice of resistance and hope — he performs among ruins and even on the frontlines. His story is also told in Pirjo Huni’s book “Sodan sellisti” (“The Cellist of War”, 2025).

Päivi Severeide, harp
Päivi Severeide is the principal harpist of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, a harp teacher at the Sibelius Academy, and a solo harpist with the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra. She studied at the Sibelius Academy (with Reija Bister and later Ariel Walbush) and at the Freiburg University of Music with Sarah O’Brien. Since her 2004 debut as a soloist with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, she has performed with numerous ensembles, including the Finnish National Opera Orchestra, the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, the Oulu Symphony, the Kuopio Symphony, Pori Sinfonietta, and Avanti!.

She has also collaborated widely with popular music artists, exploring new contexts for the harp. Päivi has taught at the Sibelius Academy since 2009, with her students achieving success in international competitions and auditions. She serves on the board of the Finnish Harp Association and is the artistic director of the Helsinki Harp Festival. With the Turku Philharmonic, Päivi fulfills her dream of being an orchestral harpist.

Volodymyr Andrushchak baritone. Volodymyr studied at the Lviv National Music Academy, the Wrocław Academy of Music, and the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. As a soloist, he has collaborated with ensembles such as a’capella Leopolis, Camerata Silesia, Cantores Minores Wratislaviensis, as well as with the renowned theatre company Song of the Goat. In 2022, he created a solo music performance based on the poetry of Hryhorii Skovoroda and the music of Maciej Rychły. He now performs with baroque ensembles, including the Wrocław Baroque Ensemble. In 2025, he became a finalist and jury prize winner at the prestigious Toivo Kuula Vocal Competition in Finland.

Cellomania is a Finnish cello duo formed by Jaani Helander and Lukas Stasevskij, friends who met at the Sibelius Academy. Since 2019, they’ve pushed the boundaries of their instruments with original works and genre-spanning covers from pop and rock to film and game music. Their debut came in 2020 at Helsinki’s Allas Sea Pool, followed by the album Mania Unleashed in 2021.

Highlights include opening the Nordic Council’s 2022 award ceremony with Helander’s Festive Anthem, the 2023 singles Towards the New Horizon (with Petteri Mäkiniemi and Tuomas Ahva) and Spectrum of Light, and a sold-out 2024 concert at Tampere Hall. With nearly 300,000 Spotify streams, Cellomania continues to captivate audiences across Finland, most recently at the Mikkeli Music Festival.

Perespiv Choir — a Ukrainian choir in Finland, united by a love of singing and the desire to share Ukrainian music with the world. Inspired by the power of the human voice, the members perform folk, sacred, and contemporary works a cappella, showcasing the richness of Ukrainian culture to diverse audiences.

The choir’s first conductor was Uliana Burdina, who established its rehearsal traditions and a cappella singing style. Today, the artistic director and conductor of Perespiv is Volodymyr Andrushchak.

Iryna Gorkun-Silén, flute

Ukrainian-born flutist Iryna Gorkun-Silen is an accomplished musician whose career spans solo, chamber, and orchestral performances across Europe, the USA, and South Korea. She holds Master of Arts and Master of Pedagogy degrees from the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and completed her doctoral studies at the Sibelius Academy’s DocMus Department in 2025.

A prizewinner of international competitions such as Léopold Bellan and Amiens, she has also studied with renowned flutists including Emmanuel Pahud, Peter-Lukas Graf, and Sir James Galway. Alongside her performance career, Iryna works as a cultural coordinator at the Ukrainian Association in Finland, promoting Ukrainian culture and intercultural dialogue.

This concert is organized with the support of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland and the Embassy of Ukraine in Finland. Proceeds will go toward supporting Ukrainian music schools and delivering humanitarian aid.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who made this concert possible — the musicians, the audience, and our partners. Special thanks go to Hotel Helka for their generous support.

To learn more about the Ukrainian Association in Finland or to find ways to support Ukraine, please visit: ukrainians.fi