Carol of the Bells Around the World Cello Project

The “Carol of the Bells” is a global favorite holiday song. The music was written in 1914 as “Schedryk” (“Little Swallow”), a New Year’s song by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych. The English Christmas lyrics were written by American composer Peter Wilhousky in the 1930s.

Today, Ukrainian cellist Vlad Primakov has arranged the “Carol of the Bells” for ensembles of three and six cellos. Together with the Cello Museum, Vlad asked cellists around the world to play the “Carol of the Bells” as a cry for peace.

Cellists across the globe collaborated with one another and their local communities to raise funds to support the humanitarian needs of the people of Ukraine, many of whom are facing a difficult winter in 2022.

With this Carol of the Cellos, we reiterate our calls for peace on Earth and goodwill to all, letting a global chorus of cellos ring in the hope that all who long for peace will be able to gather and sing songs of good cheer.

If you are inspired by this melody and want to contribute to the project, we urge you to take up the bow, record yourself, and add a link to your video in the comments.

For everyone who is able, we also encourage donations to a charity to support Ukraine. Here is Vlad's recommended charity: https://www.lighthouseofmassillon.com...

Download the sheet music, PDFs of flags to display at your performance, and get more information about the project here https://cellomuseum.org/bells/.

Thanks to everyone who has participated in this project, with special thanks to Professor Jennifer Kloetzel and her students at the University of California Santa Barbara. Many thanks also to Renate Kwon for the idea for the bow handoff video and all of her help in making everything happen.