Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra: 2026 Invincible Tour
The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra to reconvene for its fifth summer tour
Program to feature Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony in an affirmation of the defiance and invincibility of the human spirit
Lise Davidsen—the most celebrated soprano of her generation—will join the orchestra for a concert at David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City
The tour spans six countries across Europe and the United States, with return visits to New York’s Lincoln Center, London’s St Paul’s Cathedral, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the National Concert Hall in Dublin, and the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw
The 2026 tour follows Deutsche Grammophon’s release on February 24, 2026—the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine—of the orchestra’s live recording of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Maxim Kolomiiets’s Suite from The Mothers of Kherson
The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra is proud to be again under the patronage of Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, continuing its vital role as a cultural ambassador for Ukraine’s artistic resilience
New York, NY (April 14, 2026)— As Ukraine enters its fifth year of resistance against Russia’s brutal full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra will reconvene for the fifth time under the baton of its founder and music director, Keri-Lynn Wilson, in a cultural riposte to barbarism and in solidarity with the brave people of Ukraine. The 2026 Invincible Tour will span Europe and the United States and presents a program centred on two monumental pillars of the symphonic and choral repertoire: Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony and Verdi’s Requiem, one of the great works of memorial art, and for which the orchestra will be joined by a quartet of exceptional soloists: soprano Ailyn Pérez, mezzo-soprano Natalie Lewis, tenor René Barbera, and bass Soloman Howard.
Alongside these masterpieces will be Strauss’s Four Last Songs at David Geffen Hall in New York, which will be sung by Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen, whose recent performance of Isolde at the Met left the audience “awed by power you almost never hear in the human voice,” according to The New York Times. German soprano Julia Kleiter will perform Mahler’s Rückert Lieder, and there will be a reprise of Ukrainian composer Maxim Kolomiiets’s Suite from The Mothers of Kherson, premiered by the orchestra in 2025 before the opera’s full theatrical premiere later this year. Every venue will also witness a performance of a new commission by the orchestra, a Gloria by acclaimed Ukrainian composer Bohdana Frolyak. The work, Frolyak says, “is dedicated to all the heroes who have given their lives in this terrible war and to all who stand and defend Ukraine from this total evil.”
The 2026 Invincible Tour will begin at the orchestra’s traditional home away from home, the Teatr Wielki–Polish National Opera in Warsaw, before a series of return visits to venues and audiences who have been so supportive of the orchestra since its inception. A concert at St Paul’s Cathedral, London, will be followed by performances at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, and Dublin’s National Concert Hall, before a third visit to New York City for two concerts at David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center.
The orchestra’s founder and conductor, Keri-Lynn Wilson, says, “Five years into this terrible war, Ukraine’s spirit remains unbroken and unbreakable. The program for our 2026 Invincible Tour speaks to this courage and to this moment in history. I am proud to once again lead these extraordinary musicians, soldiers of music, across Europe and to the United States to bear witness to an invincible Ukraine and to a culture that will never be silenced. We play for those who are fighting, for those who have been lost, for a better future, and for all who believe that freedom will prevail. Slava Ukraini!”
First Lady Olena Zelenska says, “For five years, the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra has carried out an important mission—to serve as a cultural ambassador of Ukraine on the world’s most prestigious stages. The 2026 Invincible Tour demonstrates that our artistic resilience only grows stronger over time. I invite you to join us on this journey, where every chord is an act of solidarity and every symphony is a reminder that the light of humanity always prevails, even in the darkest times.”
The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra’s performances of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony this summer will represent the latest chapter in the orchestra’s continuing exploration of Beethoven’s works and ideals: from the “Abscheulicher!” in Beethoven’s Fidelio—a passionate plea for humanity in the face of violence—to the Eroica Symphony’s rejection of tyranny; from the orchestra’s unique Ukrainian-language version of Beethoven’s choral cry of liberty, the Ninth Symphony, to his mighty Fifth and its epic transformation from darkness to triumphant light. The orchestra’s live performances of both the Fifth and Ninth Symphonies have been released on recordings by Deutsche Grammophon. The Guardian described “the feverish intensity and commitment of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra’s playing” on the new recording of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony as “the sound of fierce hope, the sound of lives depending on the purpose and possibility of this music as a herald of peace and a call to action.” Now, the orchestra’s rendering of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony joins this tradition.
The Seventh powerfully speaks to today, and not just because it was premiered in Vienna in 1813 at a charity concert for wounded soldiers. Wagner’s famous line about it being the “apotheosis of the dance” points to its exuberance, but the work also charts the darkness of humanity under siege and the struggle against adversity before ultimate triumph. In 1989, Daniel Barenboim chose to conduct the symphony at a special concert at the Berliner Philharmonie just three days after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The only admission ticket was an East German passport for people newly granted freedom of movement. Beethoven’s music, described by one critic as having been heaved out of the abyss to reveal the light, poignantly expressed the joy of unexpected liberation.
The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra was formed in 2022 by Canadian Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson in direct response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The orchestra unites leading musicians based in Ukraine alongside those forced to leave the country as refugees and Ukrainian artists from premier international ensembles elsewhere across Europe in a powerful symbol of cultural solidarity. It was created in collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Teatr Wielki–Polish National Opera in Warsaw, and the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The orchestra’s four summer tours have taken in some of the most prestigious venues across Europe and the United States, such as the BBC Proms and the Barbican in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Lincoln Center in New York City, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. They have also performed in great cathedrals on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as in a special concert in the Polish shipyard that was instrumental in the birth of the Solidarity movement.
Their one-off concert in Warsaw to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion was televised across Europe by Arte and in the United States by PBS.
The orchestra is honored to have been able to showcase contemporary Ukrainian composers such as Silvestrov, Skoryk, Stankovych, Poleva, and Kolomiiets alongside the greats of the wider European musical tradition. Their concerts have prompted an emotional public response, critical acclaim, and unprecedented media attention for an artistic venture of this kind. Performances have received live television and radio broadcasts and attracted significant television news attention and extensive coverage in newspapers all over the world, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Times, Le Monde, Die Welt, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and many others.
On December 22, 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine appointed the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra as Honorary Ambassador in the field of Cultural Diplomacy
The Metropolitan Opera and the Teatr Wielki–Polish National Opera—under the leadership of General Manager Peter Gelb in New York and Waldemar Dabrowski and Boris Kudlička at the PNO in Warsaw—are proud to have founded and facilitated the orchestra and are delighted to support the orchestra once more in its 2026 tour. Both the Met and the PNO continue to play leading roles in the cultural world in standing up to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and in expressing support for the war’s victims.
The 2026 Invincible Tour is supported by the Government of Ireland as part of the Cultural Programme of Ireland’s 2026 Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The tour is managed by the Teatr Wielki–Polish National Opera in association with Askonas Holt.
