On March 17, the results of the “Digital Future of Ukrainian Musical Heritage” project were presented. Led by Open Opera Ukraine with support from ALIPH and the European Union, the initiative aimed to preserve and promote Ukraine’s musical heritage.
As part of the project, efforts were made to protect musical archival materials from three national opera houses in Kyiv, Odesa, and Lviv. This will make Ukraine’s musical heritage more accessible, especially to the international community.
Galyna Grygorenko, First Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, emphasized that the Ministry is committed to preserving Ukraine’s cultural heritage through innovative digital technologies. She highlighted the importance of protecting not only monuments, museum collections, and libraries, but also paper-based musical heritage, which is often overlooked.
She also mentioned that theaters and musical institutions play a key role in preserving this heritage but often lack sufficient support.
“This project highlights many important issues for the entire sector. Ukrainian musical heritage has great potential to be a powerful tool for cultural diplomacy”, said Galyna Grygorenko.
The Deputy Minister also expressed gratitude to international partners for their support, noting that Ukraine’s state budget lacks sufficient funds for such projects. She emphasized that this project is just the first step and that the work must continue.
“I’ve been managing the program since 2020, so I know quite a bit. I remember many meetings after the full-scale invasion where we discussed preserving Ukrainian cultural heritage. I was tasked with reaching out to the ALIPH Foundation, which I knew little about at the time. Now, I’m truly impressed with their work. But even more, I’m amazed by the success of the project. It has a special place in my heart. People, united by one goal, responded quickly and effectively to new challenges, whether in small museums or larger cities like Odesa”, said Arturo Rodríguez Tonelli, Regional Programme Manager EU Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine.
“As part of the project, the first electronic catalog of musical scores from Ukraine’s national opera houses was created. These scores are housed in the oldest opera houses in Ukraine, including those in Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa. We congratulate the project team on successfully completing this important initiative and believe this pilot project will continue”, said Olena Kokliahina, a representative of the ALIPH Foundation.
She explained that ALIPH, an international alliance for cultural heritage preservation, has consistently supported Ukraine’s valuable cultural legacy during the war. To date, the foundation has allocated over $7.5 million through 230 grants, assisting nearly 500 organizations in Ukraine in protecting cultural heritage.
The presentation was attended by representatives from ALIPH, Ukrainian opera houses, project curators and participants, as well as experts and scholars.
The event was organized by the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine in collaboration with the Ukrainian National Information Agency, “Ukrinform”.
