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Philharmonic Under Fire: How Kharkiv Keeps Its Cultural Memory Alive During the War 🎶

Yuriy Yanko, conductor, People's Artist of Ukraine, and long-time director of the Kharkiv Regional Philharmonic, recalls how everything changed in February 2022. Instead of concerts, there were airstrikes. Instead of audiences, it was the evacuation of musical instruments and staff. The billboard that once announced performances now bears the scars of 35 shrapnel marks. The roof of the philharmonic and hundreds of square meters of glass were damaged 💔

Despite the shock of the first days of the war, the artistic team quickly adapted: saving important documents 📁, preserving valuable instruments 🎹, and maintaining contact with colleagues. Today, the organ hall remains without an audience, but it is still alive — music plays even in the cold, without heating. The organ, built by German craftsmen, survives thanks to the special design of the hall, which works like a thermos, keeping the temperature steady.

Yuriy Yanko reflects on the years spent rebuilding the philharmonic: ten years of hard work, creating an innovative concert space with the best acoustics in Ukraine, a unique organ, a versatile stage, and a redesigned ceiling. "We built exactly what I had dreamed of," says the conductor.

The Kharkiv Philharmonic is not just a place for music 🎼It’s a symbol of resilience, memory, and national pride. Even during wartime, it remains a living, breathing part of the city's cultural identity 💙