- Year of foundation – 1988
- City – Lviv (Ukraine)
- Language – Ukrainian
- Genre – retro, folk, academic choral music, original song
History of creation
The Lviv Municipal Choir “Homin” is a professional musical group established in 1988. The founder and first leader of the singing group was the Honored Artist of Ukraine, Associate Professor of the Department of Conducting and Solo Singing of the Mykola Lysenko Lviv Academy of Music, Oleg Tsyhylyk.
From the very beginning of its activity, the choir set a course for the embodiment of the best achievements in the field of Ukrainian music. The group plunges into the depths of the national cultural heritage. Talented artists breathe new life into the best examples of folk art and awaken interest in choral art among a wide audience. Among the main goals of the choir is the popularization and disclosure of the charm of Ukrainian songs.
Creative path
Over the more than thirty-year history of the choir, dozens of bright concerts have been held both in Ukraine and abroad. Ukrainian choral music has been heard in the USA, Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Poland, the Czech Republic, Serbia, and Sweden. The group has repeatedly won the title of laureate of prestigious competitions. Among them:
- the national competition named after Mykola Leontovych (1989);
- competitions named after Stanislav Lyudkevych and Denis Sichinsky;
- the festivals "Prosvita" and "Khortytsia-91";
- an international competition in the Spanish city of Torrevieja.
In cooperation with the Department of Culture of the Lviv City Council, the collective has repeatedly initiated cultural and educational events abroad and acted as the organizer of large-scale choral festivals in Lviv. Among them are the events "Lviv Meetings" and "Praise the Lord from Heaven".
A new period in the history of the choir's work began in 2023. The collective, which has long gained popularity and recognition of hundreds of thousands of fans, has reached a new level. The "Homin" choir became part of the Lviv Organ Hall. The goal of the changes was to combine the efforts, experience and best artistic practices of both institutions. Since August of the same year, Vadym Yatsenko has taken up the position of chief conductor and artistic director. It was under his leadership that the “Homin” ensemble, with its renewed lineup, worthily represented Ukraine at the International Choral Festival in Lund (Sweden) in October.
The sudden success of the ensemble is associated precisely with the personality of Vadym Yatsenko. In particular, with the new style of the conductor. Until recently, the cultural figure wore only a mustache, but after growing a beard and changing his hairstyle a little, he unexpectedly found himself in the center of attention of a wide audience.
Repertoire of the ensemble
The choir performs works of a wide genre spectrum - from works by Ukrainian composers to folk, rebel songs, as well as choral classics from Europe and America. Contemporary music also occupies an important place in the creative output of the artists. Among the programs that are loved by the public are Christmas concerts, which feature Ukrainian and world carols, spiritual music by Ukrainian authors, patriotic selections, and original author programs. The combination of modern sound with retro themes is another strong point of the choir's work.
“Homin” is a regular participant in memorable, solemn, and festive events organized by the Lviv City Council. A special page in the history of the collective is occupied by the composition “Eternal Memory,” which was included in the soundtrack of the series “Chernobyl” (2019) from the American TV channel HBO. This work was performed in the final series.
Another significant moment was the performance of the legendary “Shchedryk” in the main hall of the Stockholm railway station. The Lviv Choir “Homin” gave the Swedish capital a piece of the Ukrainian soul. The immortal melody of Mykola Leontovych sounded in the very heart of the city. Passengers and travelers stopped to immerse themselves in the magic of Ukrainian Christmas for a moment. This live broadcast became a real moment of unity - sincere, warm and emotional.
Present
Today, the choir members, in the status of real stars, continue to discover the true depth of Ukrainian polyphony in music. On the stage of the Lviv Organ Hall, the municipal choir regularly presents new concert programs and joins joint projects with the soloists of the Organ Hall, the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Luhansk Regional Philharmonic and guest conductors. The group's performances regularly appear on the YouTube resource - the Ukrainian Live Classic channel.
But a real information explosion occurred after the announcement of the final concerts of the singing season with the 2024 program "This Choir, This Choir" was published on social networks. Along with the news about the start of ticket sales, a video of the song “This Dream” appeared on the Internet. In just three days, the video from the concert in the Lviv Organ Hall collected over 4.8 million views and 225 thousand likes on TikTok.
The star of the video was a young soloist in a black shirt, who sang surrounded by choristers. Together, the artists performed Stepan Giga’s hit “This Dream” a cappella. The unsurpassed Vadym Yatsenko easily and naturally conveyed the mood of the song, underconquering the audience with charisma and a sincere smile. At the same time, thousands of new listeners joined the army of fans of the choir.
Awards and distinctions
In addition to diplomas from prestigious competitions and festivals in the art industry, the Gomin choir received the title of the best choir of 2024 in Ukraine according to the National Rating of the Ukrinform News Agency "Infoboom-Classical Music 2024".
