The story of mothers from Kherson will be shown in a new world-class opera

On June 4, at 18:00, the National Opera of Ukraine will present the world premiere of the concert version of the opera "Mothers of Kherson" by Ukrainian composer Maksym Kolomiets. The libretto for the work was written by American playwright George Brant, and the Ukrainian translation was made by writer Myroslav Layuk.

This was reported by the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine.

The concert version will be the first public presentation of the opera, which was jointly commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Polish National Opera in Warsaw.

The plot is based on the real-life stories of two mothers from Kherson who embark on a dangerous journey through several countries and Russian-occupied territories to return their daughters who were taken to Crimea. The authors note that the opera is based on the testimonies of Ukrainian women who rescued their children from the occupation.

The orchestra and chorus of the National Opera of Ukraine, the Kyiv Camerata Ensemble, and the children's choir of the Mykola Lysenko Kyiv State Music Lyceum will take part in the performance. Canadian conductor of Ukrainian descent Carrie-Lynn Wilson will be at the conductor's desk.

The main roles will be performed by Mariana Mazur, Anastasia Povazhna, Sofia Soloviy, Anastasia Dovbius, Angelina Shvachka, Vitaliy Rozdaigora, and Taras Berezhansky.

Photo: Ministry of Culture of Ukraine

The opera will have its full world premiere in October 2026 in Warsaw, and the American premiere is scheduled for the 2027-2028 season at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

The Ministry of Culture also reminded that in 2025, the suite from the opera "Mothers of Kherson" was already performed during the European tour of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, and in 2026 it will be performed as part of the Invincible Tour, in particular at Lincoln Center in New York.

Recently, the occupiers' "Minister of Education" was sentenced in Kherson for supporting the pseudo-referendum and promoting the annexation of the region. He not only agitated for the region's accession to the aggressor country, but was also involved in the export of Ukrainian children to Crimea and Russia under the guise of rehabilitation.

In addition, the children from the Kherson Children's Home, who were illegally taken by the Russian military in 2022, were found on the Russian state portal for adoption.

In addition, Yale University published a study on the involvement of Russian state-owned companies Gazprom and Rosneft in the deportation and "re-education" of Ukrainian children.

Андрій Колісніченко