A new mentor project under the leadership of the 84-year-old composer. Twelve young Ukrainian composers undergo a year of creative training throughout 2026.
The Composers' Union of Ukraine under Yevhen Stankovych's leadership launches a new mentor project 'For Young Composers' on 1 February 2026. This is a year-long programme of free creative training for 12 young Ukrainian composers aged 22-32, selected from 87 applications submitted in November-December 2025. Programme budget — 4 million UAH, fully funded by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. Didactic structure: 12 students go through a 4-module cycle: 1) 'Score Mastery' (February-April, instructor Stankovych + 3 guest composers); 2) 'Symphonic Thinking' (May-July, instructor Stankovych + conductor Volodymyr Sirenko); 3) 'Voice of Ukrainian Tradition' (August-October, instructors Yuriy Ishchenko and Anna Havrylets); 4) 'Presentation' (November-December — each student presents a finished 12-15 minute work). The programme concludes with a charity final concert at the Kyiv Composers' House on 18 December 2026 — each of the 12 students will present their own work performed by a live chamber orchestra. The concert runs in live-streaming format on the Composers' Union channel. The recording will be available free as an educational resource for future composers. The first inaugural 'Skoryk Memorial Prize' (50 thousand UAH) is awarded to the best final performer.
