Dr. Taras Filenko Shares The Music Of Ukraine

Dr. Taras Filenko, a pianist, historian and ethnomusicologist, is a noted scholar of Ukrainian music. Though he has lived and worked in Pittsburgh for decades, these days his thoughts and fears are firmly focused on the turmoil in Ukraine, the land of his birth.

In a recent phone interview, Filenko explained that both his 23- and 25-year-old nephews, Taras Nikolenko and Kyrylo Nikolenko, are currently serving in Ukraine’s territorial defense force in the city of Zaporizhzhya where, as of last week, they were being prepared for a Russian assault. Their older brother, 27-year-old Mykola Nikolenko, suffered a head injury during bombardment of western Ukraine and is currently in the hospital.

Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24, and in the weeks since, there have been many East End concerts and events to raise funds for humanitarian relief in the country, mostly offered by artists or musicians with no direct connection to the country. But on Friday, April 22, Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor will bring the crisis of the current conflict into sharp focus with “Concert For Ukraine,” a lecture and performance by Filenko examining Ukrainian national identity through a musical lens.

“I’m going to present several pieces for piano — from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries — that have some folk elements,” said Filenko, who will share his country’s folkloric traditions through its composers while also delving into the reasons why Ukraine is such a target for Russia. “I’ll talk about Ukrainian culture and national identity through music.”

While the utter brutality that has been unleashed on Ukraine by Russia in recent weeks is shocking to nations around the world, Filenko will attest that it’s nothing new. In fact, Russian aggression has long defined the history of Ukraine.

Filenko is a graduate of the National Academy of Music in Kyiv and served on the faculty there, eventually as associate dean of conducting and voice. He was awarded a Ph.D. in historic musicology from the academy in 1989 and earned a doctorate in ethnomusicology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1998. Born in southern Ukraine in the late 1950s, Filenko knows first-hand what it’s like to live under the shadow of oppression cast by its powerful neighbor.

“I was born in Ukraine, but my first language was Russian because there were no Ukrainian schools in the city where I was born,” Filenko said. “It put you under suspicion to be a nationalist if you spoke Ukrainian.”

You could also be imprisoned for espousing too many pro-Ukrainian views or even embracing the culture.

“I was raised in opposition to the Soviets,” Filenko explained. “My parents were under constant surveillance. My mom was an author and my dad was a rocket scientist. In our home, they drilled a hole to put a bug in my parents’ bedroom.”

Filenko explains that the Russian aggression that has been such a defining feature of life in Ukraine is not just about exerting political power. It’s also about cultural annihilation and the effort to destroy Ukrainian-centric writing, art and music.

This is a concept that isn’t necessarily familiar to many Americans today. Without a national identity defined by our music and arts, it can be difficult for people to wrap their heads around the motives of the Russians, who seem to be systematically targeting civilians in Ukraine as they wipe towns and cities off the face of the Earth. Perhaps the closest parallel can be found in the systematic eradication of Native American culture, language and tradition with the arrival of Europeans to this country.

“Ukraine has been subjugated for centuries — the language banned, poetry banned, education banned — and I’m going to talk about it and show the slides and perform the music,” said Filenko.

Music plays a vital role in the national pride of Ukrainians and perhaps that’s why the images and videos that have emerged from the war-torn country showing musicians performing on dust-covered pianos or cellos surrounded by bombed-out buildings have been so moving. These little, but poignant, acts of protest are a sign of the resilience, determination and spirit of the Ukrainian people in the face of brutal violence.

Among the key figures that Filenko will discuss in his Bay Street presentation is Mykola Lysenko (1842-1912), a composer who was credited with the creation of Ukraine’s national music tradition. Inspired by folk music, Lysenko frequently used the words of Ukraine’s poets in his compositions. Filenko and his mother wrote a book about the composer that was published in 2001.

“I was able to invite [to Bay Street] opera singer Oksana Krovytska, from the New York City Opera,” said Filenko. “She’s going to sing four or five songs, including folk songs and one from Ukrainian opera. To hear the vocal music is also important.”

Filenko notes that Russia has a long history of imposing its will and culture on other countries — not just Ukraine. It’s a powerful tool, he notes, to subjugate not just land and resources, but also identity.

“That’s why Putin has two vectors — a ‘denazification’ — no one knows what that means — but also to crush national identity,” said Filenko. “This is a main focus. It’s clear and that’s why the torture of activists and the journalists”

Filenko is particularly disheartened by what he sees in terms of the Russian people’s total acceptance of what they are being told about the war. Like those in this country who, despite a total lack of evidence, maintain that the 2020 election was stolen, no amount of first-hand accounts will convince a majority of Russians that Putin’s invasion was unjust.

“I have a chief economist friend in Kiev, and I’ve been in touch with her,” Filenko said. “She was sleeping in the subway station on the marble floor. She explained to her mother in Russia what’s going on and told her about the buildings that were ruined. Her mother doesn’t believe her, and says, ‘We don’t see that on TV. You’re insane.’ This woman’s own mother doesn’t believe her.

“This is a scary moment because of Russian propaganda. They perceive themselves as liberators,” added Filenko.

Filenko, who once studied music in Moscow, notes that he has since lost all of his Russian friends because of their belief in the state propaganda.

“In the last 25 or 30 years, my friends became so pro-Putin,” Filenko said. “Russian intelligentsia used to be in constant opposition to the state. Nowadays, 80 percent of Russians celebrate Putin. Even the intellectuals joined in. When Russia annexed Crimea, 500 Russian cultural figures signed a letter of support. They were not forced. In Russia, they perceive music and art as potent political vehicles.

“The art and culture situation is extremely dangerous. If Putin wins in Ukraine, you will see such authoritarian sentiment all over the world,” said Filenko who sees similar politically-motivated propaganda tactics taking firm hold in the United States as well. “I’m going to fight, not only for Ukraine, but for our country here.

“We are in big danger.”

“Concert For Ukraine,” a humanitarian relief effort celebrating the music, arts and culture of Ukraine, is Friday, April 22, at 8 p.m. at Bay Street Theater. It is presented in collaboration between Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman and the theater. Tickets are a minimum $20 donation, though guests are encouraged to give what they can, at baystreet.org or 631-725-9500. Guests must show proof of vaccination and wear a mask upon entry to the theater.