In the Refectory Church of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, the Veryovka National Choir performed the Liturgy for Choir and Folk Singing by Kyrylo Stetsenko, written over a hundred years ago. The work is based on the ancient traditions of Ukrainian sacred music and involves the joint singing of the choir and the faithful. It reflects the ideas of the then movement for autocephaly, in particular the desire for divine services in the Ukrainian language. For the collective, which has been combining academic and folk voices for decades, the appeal to the Liturgy was an opportunity to rethink its own identity in a new way. For the Lavra, it was another step on the path to returning to its spiritual origins. Kyrylo Stetsenko (1882–1922) was a Ukrainian composer, choir conductor, teacher and public figure, a priest of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. He sang in Mykola Lysenko’s chapel, was an assistant conductor, and continued the national trend in music he had initiated. During the Ukrainian People’s Republic, Stetsenko worked in the music department of the Ministry of Education. He also participated in the creation of choral groups and developed educational projects. In 1921, he participated in the First All-Ukrainian Church Council, which confirmed the autocephaly of the UAOC. The artist’s work includes spiritual works, cantatas, choirs, solo songs, arrangements of folk songs, music for theatrical performances, and children’s operas. Among his famous compositions are “Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom”, “All-Night Vigil” and “Panakhida”, dedicated to the memory of Mykola Lysenko.
