Each melody touched the soul…

In such moments, you immediately forget that it's wet and cold outside. In such moments, you simply don't feel the bad weather. In such moments, your soul is warm, calm, and serene. Because the soul creates prayer with thoughts, words, sounds. And above you is the high dome of the temple. And your prayer flies there, to soar even higher, to the very heavens.
So that your "thank you, God" is heard there — because we have reasons to be thankful.
And your "forgive us" — because we have reasons to ask for forgiveness.
And your "save us, Lord, bless us with peace" — because now we truly understand how important it is to have peace in our souls and on our native land.

These were probably the feelings and thoughts of everyone who visited the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in the Ukrainian neighborhood of Chicago last Sunday. Here, as part of the "Open House Chicago" event, a classical music concert took place.

In form — yes, a concert. But in spirit — a prayer. Communal. Sincere. Pure. Because it was created by amazing music that penetrated the deepest corners of the soul and held in a special captivity of feelings, sensations, and emotions.

After the blessing by Father Pavlo Drozdiyak, it was presented to the audience by the "Glorious" choir and a chamber orchestra conducted by Bohdana Chepil.
The concert program included spiritual and classical works by Ukrainian and world composers — Kyrylo Stetsenko, Johann Sebastian Bach, Giulio Caccini, Tomaso Albinoni, Roman Hurko, John Williams, Edvard Grieg.

It was truly music that touched the soul. The professional polyphony of the choristers, the virtuoso playing of the orchestra, the vocal solo by Vira Boychuk, the violin solos by Yulia Perehozhuk and Pavlo Kuryliuk — with the cathedral's excellent acoustics, all this sounded like divine overtones. The melodies seemed to animate the incomparably beautiful architecture of the temple, the faces of saints on the icons, and the deeply meaningful stained glass windows.
By the way, the restoration of the oldest Ukrainian shrine in Chicago is ongoing, and its doors are open to anyone who wants to come here and feel a special state of the soul — in contemplation of sacred beauty, in a sincere conversation-prayer with God.

At the end of the concert, Myroslav Skoryk's piece was performed. No matter how many times you listen to his "Melody," each time this incredible piece reveals itself anew and enriches with something new, previously unknown. This time it sounded like a frenzy — of love, beauty, fidelity, the pain of separation, wrenching longing, and unwavering faith that somewhere, when the time comes, we will meet those who have already departed to the heavens.

Perhaps that's why it seemed that under the passionate conducting of Bohdana Chepil, the performers created the legendary melody not only with voices and instruments but with invisible, painfully taut strings of their hearts. Because with its melody, structure, and climactic moments, it resonates too much with the events our native Ukraine is experiencing today — with the war that destroys, maims, kills, takes away the dearest ones.

To them, the fallen Heroes of the war in Ukraine, this concert was dedicated...

Photos provided by the Cathedral of St. Nicholas.