Open Opera Ukraine

Founded in 2017, Open Opera Ukraine (OOU) is an independent opera company focused on early music. Its mission is to promote music as an instrument of communication, mutual understanding, social cohesion and community resilience through creating high-quality artistic projects and enabling wide audience access and participation; supporting and developing young opera talents in Ukraine; working with audience engagement and development programmes. OOU has been a member of Opera Europa since 2018. 

In 2017, the first-ever historically informed production of a baroque opera in Ukraine – Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas – was staged in Kyiv. This production has won the national GRA prize for best opera/musical. The production toured to six Ukrainian cities.

In 2019, Open Opera Ukraine’s next production of Handel’s Acis and Galatea was staged with the support of Ukrainian Cultural Foundation and Italian Cultural Institute. The participation of Jörg Halubek as conductor and harpsichordist was supported by the Culture Bridges programme. 

In 2024, Open Opera Ukraine produced King Arthur by Purcell and Dryden. Roc Fargas (Spain) was principal conductor and Olena Savchuk (Ukraine) stage director.  

In 2019, Open Opera Ukraine has launched the art laboratory MUSICA SACRA UCRAINA – project of research and performance of 17-century Ukrainian sacral vocal music with concerts by Mykola Dyletsky. 

Since 2020, OOU has released three audio albums of 17- and 18-century Ukrainian vocal sacral music.