Honoring the victims of war: Yale Schola Cantorum sing a work by Ukrainian composer

On November 10 in Yale’s Woolsey Hall, Stefan Parkman conducted Yale Schola Cantorum in a moving rendition of Anna Kuzina-Rozhdestvenska’s Agnus Dei. Composed by the Ukrainian-born musician in July 2022 in response to the start of the war in her homeland, it honors the memory of the war’s countless victims. 

The traditional liturgical text, framed by tubular bells, rings at the opening in memory of the lives lost, and sounds again after the final dona nobis pacem to mark the proclamation of peace throughout the earth. 

If you missed the performance, you can listen to it here.

Although Anna couldn’t be in New Haven for the performance, she was able to watch via livestream from her home in Kyiv. After the concert she commented, “My boundless gratitude to all the artists for such a moving interpretation of a very important piece for me…an unforgettable event that will forever remain in my heart and memory!”