The “Ukraine” piano, evacuated from Bakhmut, has returned to the cultural life of the city as part of our social initiative Voice of Life. The goal of the project is to rescue instruments from frontline and de-occupied territories and give them a voice back in the peaceful space of Ukrainian cities.
We deliberately focus on the “Ukraine” piano, instruments that were once made in factories in Odessa and Chernihiv. Both enterprises are now closed, so each preserved piano is not only music, but also a living memory of Ukrainian industrial and cultural history.
This instrument has gone through a difficult journey. It was taken from Bakhmut by the Octava Capital team, later it underwent restoration in Kyiv and even there it was damaged during shelling. But we restored it — with the belief that music should sound no matter what. After that, the piano was delivered to Kharkiv.
On December 12, the instrument first sounded for the city. The concert was performed by teachers of the I. Kotlyarevsky Kharkiv National University of Arts, students of the B. Lyatoshynsky Kharkiv Music College, and students of city and regional art schools. It was an extremely warm and touching moment — a real return of music home.
After the presentation, the piano remained at the Yaroslav Mudryo metro station as an open cultural space — a place where music sounds for all Kharkiv residents.
We sincerely thank our partners — the Kharkiv Metro and the Kharkiv City Council — for their support and trust. Special thanks to the talented children, teachers, and artists of Kharkiv who filled this day with light, meaning, and real emotions.
Music lives. And we continue to give it back its voice.
