Songlines for Ukraine
Kaufman Music Center, New York
Friday, March 17 – Sunday, March 19
Songlines for a New World, the Ukrainian Institute (Kyiv) and the Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival is thrilled to announce the 2023 festival “Songlines for Ukraine” in New York (18-19 March).
About the event
The 2023 festival “Songlines for Ukraine” is part of Carnegie Hall’s season-long exploration of the many contributions that women have made to the world of music. Curated by Xenia Hanusiak, Songlines for Ukraine offers audiences through the power of virtuosic performance a window into some of Ukraine’s most innovative, fearless, and vital female performers recognized on the world stage today.
Programme
The featured artists: jazz indie performer Vivienne Mort and the multi-instrumental electronic girl duo Krapka; Koma are agents of change–they are the provocateurs and consciousness of their generation. As role models for women, they inject the world with superlative musicianship, divine voices, and critique of the ways of our world.
There is nothing ordinary about Vivienne Mort and Krapka; Koma. These women use their artistic gifts to fundraise money for healthcare needs of Ukrainian defenders. Their performances across the globe support Ukrainian culture during these devastating times of their country.
“Songlines for Ukraine” offers performances, workshops and panel discussions on the power and artistry of women during times of war and times of peace. There will be joy.
War is not a pop song.
The performances of Vivienne Mort and Krapka: Koma at the Kaufman Music Center on 18, and 19 March 2023 are generously hosted by the Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival.
Performers

Vivienne Mort is one of the most important representatives of Ukrainian indie. They have made a significant contribution to the development of Ukrainian indie music and national music culture. Vivienne Mort released 5 albums, the last of which, “Dosvid”(“Experience”), was nominated for the Shevchenko National Prize in the “Performing Arts” category.
Vivienne Mort’s music is listened to by the Ukrainian intellectuals, connoisseurs of thoughtful music. The themes of Vivienne Mort’s work are, first and foremost, the state of the soul, search for meaning, profound thoughts, feelings and experiences.
Throughout its history the band experimented with the sound greatly – from an academic duet of vocals and an organ in the halls of a Gothic church to an extended big band with brass and strings. But the foundation of Vivienne Mort’s music always remains the same — expressive piano and sensual, charismatic vocals of the songwriter Daniela Zayushkina. She has exclusively performed for the members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since the beginning of the ful-scale russian invasion of Ukraine. In the summer of 2022, a large charity tour of European countries took place, 100% of the profits from which were transferred to the needs of the Ukrainian army. Now Vivienne Mort is in Kyiv, doing volunteer work and, despite the war, working on a new full-length album.

Photo Credit: Tanya Vilchynska
Krapka;KOMA is a Ukrainian multi-instrumentalist electronic girl duo. Following down the roads of indie-electronica, trip-hop and nu-jazz, Ira and Alona break new ground using a crazy amount of instruments both live and on their recordings. Their sound is a mixture of atmospheric Bonobo and sonically challenging Radiohead.
Since the launch of the project in September 2019, Krapka;KOMA has released an EP, 3 international collaborations, 5 music videos, composed a soundtrack for a video game, were released on a vinyl in Los Angeles and to date had over 70 self-booked performances in Ukraine, Europe and the UK, including festivals Waves Vienna 2020, The Great Escape 2022, Sziget 2022 and Reeperbahn 2022.
The russian invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of February has seriously impacted the lives of all Ukrainians, and Ira and Alona are among them. While fundraising money for healthcare needs of Ukrainian defenders, Krapka;KOMA had over 30 performances in 13 countries to support Ukrainian culture and the music scene abroad. In September-November 2022 the duo went on a charity tour over Europe & the UK to fundraise for the “Musicians Defend Ukraine” foundation.
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Songlines for a New World
The festival Songlines for Ukraine curated by Artistic Director Xenia Hanusiak. Her current festival Songlines for a New World made its world tour debut at Spring Revolution Festival at National Sawdust (New York) in 2018 & now tours across the globe.
Songlines for a New World is a festival of female virtuosity. Featuring trail blazing Australian women whose paths draw from indigenous and multicultural backgrounds, Songlines for a New World is a series of performances, storytelling, and visual imaginings that harness the female perspective of ancient and contemporary creativity.
Songlines for a New World returns to New York following the success of its premiere season in 2018, as part of the Spring Revolution festival at National Sawdust.
Venue&Tickets
Bookings and further details of all events will open in February 2023 on this site and the venue’s sites.
- Venue: Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street | Manhattan
- Tickets: TBD
Presented by
The festival Songlines for Ukraine curated by Artistic Director Xenia Hanusiak and presented by the Ukrainian Institute (Kyiv) and the Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival.