Lesya Ukrainka and Solomiya Krushelnytska — Female Voice of the Ukrainian Stage

The current exhibition runs from April through September 2026, bridging the birthday of Lesya Ukrainka (25 February) and Solomiya Krushelnytska (23 September) — two anniversary markers of Ukrainian women's creative work of European calibre. The collection holds original manuscripts of the dramas Forest Song, The Stone Host, Cassandra by Lesya Ukrainka (1871-1913), her theatrical costumes for her own productions, family correspondence with her mother Olena Pchilka and sister Olha Kosach. In the adjacent hall — concert attire of Solomiya Krushelnytska (1872-1952), photo chronicles of her appearances at La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, Buenos Aires Teatro Colón, epistolary exchange with Arturo Toscanini, Enrico Caruso, and Giacomo Puccini. The exhibition emphasises: Ukrainka and Krushelnytska — both natives of Volyn and Galicia respectively — presented the Ukrainian intellectual and performing voice on the world stage at a time when Ukraine did not exist as a political entity. The exposition refutes imperial literary narratives and narratives of 'Austro-Hungarian' vocal art — both artists consciously chose Ukrainian identity, language, and cultural context. The lecture programme involves contemporary opera singers, literary scholars, and feminist researchers.