By Nadya Miryanova: When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Illia Bondarenko was studying composition at the Ukrainian National Academy of Music. He was living with his grandmother in Kyiv and completing the penultimate year of his undergraduate degree, while his parents worked in Zhytomyr. Born in Donetsk, Illia has known war since he was 13. “War brings only grief,” he says. “It is the worst thing that people can do to one another. Lives are lost, children are left without parents, families without homes, and everyone lives in fear of whether tomorrow will come.”
On 24 February, Illia spent the night in the basement of his house with his grandmother whilst helping the neighbours in any way he could. He turned to music as a form of cultural healing and resistance, publishing his recent recording of Ysaÿe’s Melancholia from Violin Sonata No. 2 and his own String Quartet No. 2 in the days that followed. His composition attracted the attention of renowned violinist Kerenza Peacock, who got in touch with Illia to organise a musical flashmob which could raise money for Ukraine. “She asked me to pick a melody and I chose the Ukrainian folk melody Verbovaya Doschechka, which is used in the soundtrack of Sergei Parajanov’s film Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors. The piece is striking and filled with emotion. I created an arrangement for string ensemble and Kerenza sent it to violinists who could record individual parts. She then pieced the project together in a studio.”
The result was a stunning virtual orchestra of 94 violinists from 29 countries. Illia begins the performance with a solo rendition of the Ukrainian folk melody and as the camera pans out, he is joined by nine other young violinists sheltering across Ukraine. The musicians are gradually accompanied by players from the London Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony, and Oslo Philharmonic, building into a vast virtual orchestra. The video was later streamed at ITV’s televised fundraiser, Concert for Ukraine, accompanied by a live solo from violinist Nicola Benedetti. “I recorded this piece in a bomb shelter in between air raids – it’s actually my grandmother filming. But we had to film between explosions because it was impossible to hear me play.
“I think the project was a success because of the sheer power of the Ukrainian melody. The motif is so easy to understand. We created the project in the first few months of the war and the horror of the Russian invasion was visible to everyone. I am so pleased that we could fundraise and help my people – I am extremely grateful to Kerenza.”
Illia continues leading performances that combine technical brilliance with emotional depth, while often serving charitable and diplomatic causes. He regularly represents Ukraine in world-leading international projects, performing in a wide range of musical styles on both acoustic and electric violin. As a soloist, Illia has performed at the Winter Olympic Games in South Korea, the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Argentina, as well as the White House of Washington DC. He was the youngest musician to perform with the YPHIL Orchestra in the concert For Global Peace, held at Carnegie Hall in New York to mark the United Nations’ 70th anniversary. Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamento dedicated a piece to Illia, which he later performed amid the ruins of a Ukrainian school in Zhytomyr. Celebrated violinist Daniel Hope asked Illia to compose a piece for him, and legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma has performed in a virtual duo with Illia in support of Ukraine.
As a composer, Illia’s chamber and orchestral music is performed on Ukrainian and international stages, as well as at diplomatic events, award ceremonies, and charity projects. He is the Laureate of the Ukrainian ID Awards (2019), nominee of the Europäischen Kulturpreis in the Young Artist of the Year category (2022), and a winner of the Hnatyshyn Foundation’s Ukraine-Heritage Prize in the Spirit & Future program (Canada, 2022). His work was featured in a portrait concert at the Lviv MozArt Music Festival in Ukraine as part of the MozArt Young – Experiment program in 2021. This was followed by performances of his compositions at the BrixenClassics Festival in Italy in 2022.
On Wednesday 18 June, Illia will lead a brilliant string quartet in an evening performance at Widcombe Social Club as part of Bath Refugee Week. Presented by charitable association The Friends of Oleksandriya, the event – Displaced: Within and Beyond –will spotlight the resilience of Ukrainians through the lens of cinema and the spirit of music. “This event is so important and I am very grateful that I have been invited to play,” he says. “The idea is really interesting – Ukrainian music, let alone Ukrainian cinema, is still underrepresented. This is particularly true for older works, which are often categorised under the broader label of Soviet art. Today, contemporary Ukrainian filmmakers are producing remarkable work that deserves greater visibility and support.
“Our event will also highlight the role of women in war, as the tragedies unfolding in Ukraine directly affect women: mothers who have sent their children to war, women who have been brutally assaulted by Russian soldiers, women who were forced to emigrate, women who fight for their country in many different ways. That’s not to ignore the contribution of men at all, but they’re different things that we have to draw attention to. It’s fantastic that we can open up this conversation in the event – the short films (A Woman’s War, Children’s Voices, and Internally Displaced Person) showcase the powerful work of female artists and our music will amplify their impact.”
Illia’s string ensemble will perform renditions of Boris Lyatoshinsky’s String Quartet No. 2 and Illia’s own String Quartet No. 2. “Lyatoshinsky is the godfather of Ukrainian music,” he says. “He’s an exceptional composer and his work stands as one of the most compelling expressions of Ukrainian music, clearly distinct from Soviet-era art. He is a leading figure in contemporary music, with a strong and unmistakable musical identity. His quartets are particularly striking and deeply rooted in Ukrainian folklore. Lyatoshinsky masterfully weaves familiar folk melodies into sophisticated, richly layered compositions. His music is deeply symbolic, making it especially meaningful in the context of this event.”
Video of the Violins in support of Ukraine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQSIeD-x6dQ
Illia’s String Quartet No. 2 is one of his early works, composed when he was in his second year at conservatoire. The piece draws inspiration from the music of Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, whose works Illia refers to as “the pinnacle of the string quartet genre”. Reflecting on the inspiration behind his quartet, Illia says: “I wanted to channel both my anxiety about the war and my deep admiration for this composer into my music. The quartet incorporates elements of Ukrainian folklore, but there’s interestingly a passage that mimics sirens. This wasn’t written during the full-scale war. At the time, I never imagined that those sounds would become a daily reality for my country. They say that composers often foresee the future of their country through their music – this piece feels like a premonition.
“Ukrainian culture is constantly evolving and remains hugely relevant today. There is a vast number of talented Ukrainian creatives across Europe who now have the platforms and opportunities to bring Ukrainian art to a wider audience. For many years, Ukrainians were unable to fully express themselves – so many people were killed and it takes time for new generations of artists to emerge. Since gaining independence, Ukraine’s culture has begun to engage more actively with the broader European landscape. While European culture has developed over thousands of years and often deals with different issues – how to manage crises, how to push artistic boundaries – Ukrainian art is at the start of this journey. We’re only beginning to express what we have to say. I would like my music to reflect the strength of our spirit and the striking development of our culture.”
Now living in London, Illia is preparing to release an album of original compositions, which is currently in post-production. It features a piano trio, clarinet miniatures, ensemble works, among many other pieces. The album is a tribute to Ukraine and his piano trio is dedicated to his friend who was killed in action on the frontline near Bakhmut. “The emotions I feel are so powerful and music doesn’t soothe them. It brings fuel to the fire and amplifies my strength of feeling,” he says. “Humanity’s greatest tragedies often become the strongest catalyst behind artistic creation. Although much of my music was composed in England, the album is rooted in Ukraine.”
You can book tickets to watch Illia perform at Displaced: Within and Beyond on Wednesday 18 June, doors 7pm concert at 7.30pm at Widcombe Social Club here: Displaced: Within and Beyond | Bath Box Office
Duet with Yo Yo Ma: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXtgJHiQpDE
Nadya Miryanova is a freelance journalist and a volunteer at The Friends of Oleksandriya.
For more visit https://www.friendsofo.co.uk/
