Music, Performing Arts and Cultural Identity – A Masterclass series by Dr. Taras Filenko

1. Music for theatre and musical theatre: modernism, folk traditions and artistic identity through musical practice.

The masterclass will explore how music for theatre and musical theatre engages with modernist aesthetics and folk traditions, drawing on the artist’s own practice and selected historical examples. While maintaining a broad artistic perspective, the session will include reflections from Ukrainian theatre and musical culture, illustrating how artistic identity, memory and continuity are shaped and preserved in complex cultural contexts. References may include key figures of twentieth-century theatre, such as Les Kurbas, as part of a wider discussion on innovation, artistic language and the role of music in theatre performance.

2. Interconnections between music and visual art, dance, theatre performance, and poetry: insights from the Ukrainian artistic experience.

This session explores the dialogue between music and other art forms – visual art, dance, theatre and poetry – as a shared creative space rather than as separate disciplines. It reflects on how artistic languages intersect, influence one another and evolve over time, particularly in contexts shaped by a strong sense of cultural memory. Drawing from the Ukrainian cultural experience, the session opens a wider reflection on how such interconnections allow artistic expression to remain adaptable, resonant and meaningful across different historical and geographic contexts

Dr. Taras Filenko is a noted scholar and performer of Ukrainian music. A graduate of the National Academy of Music in Kyiv, Dr. Filenko went on to serve as a member of the faculty and eventually as Associate Dean of Conducting and Voice. From the Academy, he was awarded a Ph.D. in historic musicology, later earning a doctorate in Ethnomusicology from the University of Pittsburgh.

For over forty years, Dr. Filenko has worked in the fields of History of Music, Ethnomusicology, and Music Performance (piano, organ, and choir directing), successfully combining his work as scholar, teacher, and performer. He has presented concerts throughout Europe and North America, making numerous media appearances promoting the works of contemporary Ukrainian composers.

Dr. Filenko is a recipient of numerous academic awards, among them two Fulbright scholarships. His academic publications (more than 100) embrace ethnic studies, musical culture and politics, ethnomusicology, and music and poetry. Together with Tamara Bulat, he authored The World of Mykola Lysenko: Ethnic Identity, Music Culture and Politics, in both English and Ukrainian versions.

For the past almost four years, Dr Filenko has volunteered his time and knowledge to organize and perform in numerous locations. These concerts bring the compelling sounds of Ukrainian music and poetry to new audiences. Each presentation is threaded together with commentary providing context and insight, and, where possible, enhanced by projected slides of Ukrainian visual art and contemporary photography. Frequently, Dr Filenko collaborates with other artists, including musicians, poets and visual artists.

Invitations for Dr Filenko performances have come from across the United States, as well as locations around the world. In 2025 alone, Dr Filenko has given concerts, lectures and master classes in Mexico, India, Armenia, Georgia, Colombia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and the U.S. The sponsors for these events have been embassies, colleges and universities, houses of worship and cultural organizations. Many of the events are fund raisers, gathering hundreds of thousands of dollars from generous individuals for humanitarian relief. Every performance is also a “friend raiser,” bringing to a wider public a deeper understanding of Ukrainian cultural history and the current plight of Ukraine’s embattled people. For this work, Dr Filenko was recognized in late 2024 as “Ukrainian of the Year” by the Ukrainian Technological Society of Pittsburgh.