The capella's largest European tour with 12 performances at major European cathedrals. October-November 2026.
Kapela Dumka announced on 14 January 2026 the largest European tour in the ensemble's history with 12 performances at major European cathedrals from 4 October to 8 November 2026. This is the capella's first-ever cathedral-tour format — previous tours took place in classical concert halls. The route includes: 1) Notre-Dame Paris (4.10 — after restoration completion); 2) Westminster Abbey London (8.10); 3) Kölner Dom (12.10); 4) Vienna's St. Stephan (16.10); 5) Pražský hrad / St. Vitus (20.10); 6) Krakow Wawel (24.10); ... 12) Berlin Dom (8.11 — tour finale). Performance programme at each cathedral — 75-minute a cappella programme adapted to local religious tradition: 1) 4 Ukrainian carols (from 'Carols Across Centuries' album — see separate news); 2) 3 canonical European chorales (adapted to Ukrainian pronunciation — Bach, Pärt, Mozart); 3) 2 new works written specifically for the tour (Zahaikevych, Sylvestrov); 4) Special finale — joint with local church choir (different for each cathedral). Technical equipment — full a cappella (without any electronic amplification, since cathedrals have natural acoustics). Recording of all 12 performances will be available as 'Dumka: European Cathedrals 2026' (8-CD box-set, release June 2027 on ECM Records). All concert ticket proceeds (cathedral performances are free for visitors) come through donations and are transferred to the Capella Fund for its further educational projects at the Kyiv Conservatory.
