First Ukrainian Voices on Records — From HMV to Columbia (1900-1925)

A 2025 exhibition dedicated to the first quarter-century of the Ukrainian voice on the world gramophone market. The centrepiece is original shellac 78rpm discs with recordings by Solomiya Krushelnytska (1872-1952), made for the His Master's Voice, Fonotipia and Gramophone Company labels during 1903-1925. Alongside — the voice of Modest Mentsynsky (1875-1935), the Ukrainian operatic tenor whose Gramophone Company recordings preserved the timbre of the Galician vocal school. A separate section holds recordings of the Ukrainian Republic Choir of Oleksandr Koshyts (1875-1944), made during the world tour of 1919-1924. A special place is held by the history of Shchedryk by Mykola Leontovych (1877-1921) — the Ukrainian Christmas composition of 1916, performed by the Koshyts choir at its Carnegie Hall premiere on 5 October 1922, which introduced Ukrainian music to the American cultural space. The exhibition shows original Brunswick Records discs from the 1920s, concert programmes from Paris, London, Buenos Aires, and New York City, photo chronicles of the tour. The exposition is set within the context of the Ukrainian National Republic and the cultural diplomacy of the first wave of Ukrainian emigration.