Odesa Culture Days Festival in Mainz
Today in the partner city of Mainz (Germany), a grand festival kicks off – the Odesa Culture Days.
The week's program is set to be diverse and colorful.
The festival will be inaugurated by an exhibition of paintings by Odesa artists Yuriy and Viktor Osotenko titled «Temples. The Spirituality of Odesa» at St. Stephen's Church.
In honor of the Odesa Culture Days, the Ukrainian community in Mainz has organized a literary meeting with writer and poet Maryana Haponenko, who studied Germanistics in Odesa and began publishing in German at an early age.
Additionally, a concert featuring the bandura trio «Malvy» and a Mainz early music ensemble will take place at the Peter Cornelius Conservatory.
The Odesa trio «Malvy» is one of the most renowned in Ukraine, composed of highly talented students from the Stolyarsky Music School.
Furthermore, an evening of Ukrainian jazz will be held at the Altmünster Church, featuring singer Nadine Russu and pianist Marina Perepelitsa performing jazz standards and improvisations of Ukrainian songs.
In the Ollohof club, DJ Maryna Moxx will present Ukrainian rave music for techno enthusiasts.
The Star Ballet School has prepared a special event for children aged 5 to 12, teaching them to dance and sing Ukrainian songs while adults enjoy a picnic in Odesa style. The courtyard will be transformed into a typical Moldavanka yard, with singer and passionate cook Kira Kaft serving signature Odesa dishes.
The achievements of Odesa filmmakers will be honored with a screening of the historical film «Fortress Khadjibey» about Cossack bravery and love.
On the Day of the City of Odesa, which is the festival's final day, there will be a prayer for Ukraine and a grand concert at St. Stephen's Cathedral.
The program will include a solo from Mykhailo Skoryk's ballet «Forest Song», works by Paganini, Puccini, Bartok, and music by Ukrainian composers including Semen Gulak-Artemovsky and Myroslav Skoryk.
The concert will conclude with performances by renowned Odesa musicians: Nadiya Sheremetyeva (soprano, performed at La Scala, Milan); Ninelle Menshikova (pianist, educator from Frankfurt's chamber opera); Mykhailo Makarov (violinist, from classical to jazz); and Oleksandra Chekalенко (violinist, multiple competition winner).
