The Lviv National Philharmonic of Ukraine, Principal Conductor Theodore Kuchar, and composer Wang Jie in rehearsal on August 18, 2023 in Lviv, Ukraine. The orchestra performed works by Wang Jie, including “The Winter that United Us,” which was commissioned by the League of American Orchestras for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra with support from the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.
On Sunday, August 20, the Lviv National Philharmonic of Ukraine and Principal Conductor Theodore Kuchar performed new and recent works by composer Wang Jie; the concert was livestreamed from Lviv and is available for viewing at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsmiWcn9hKo. The first piece by Wang Jie on the program, “The Winter that United Us,” was commissioned by the League of American Orchestras for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, with support from the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. About the score, the composer writes, “The music wonders out loud—is spring far behind? Can we rise out of the ashes of atrocity to bring about unity, integrity, and joy?” The orchestra then performed Wang Jie’s “Flying on the Scaly Back of Our Mountains,” which was commissioned by the Colorado Music Festival and given its world premiere by the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, led by Peter Oundjian, in August 2022. For more on the League of American Orchestras’ Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program, click here.
