Every year, Lviv Polytechnic honours Taras Shevchenko, a poet, artist and prophet whose work became a symbol of national revival. Traditionally, Lviv Polytechnic National University together with the Lviv Regional Prosvita Society named after Taras Shevchenko organises a themed evening that brings together everyone who appreciates the power of Shevchenko’s words.
The event was held at the Myroslav Skoryk Concert Hall in Lviv National Philharmonic on 10 March. It was dedicated to the 211th anniversary of Kobzar’s birth and brought together researchers, artists, students and other Lvivites.
The first to speak was Yaroslav Pitko, Honoured Worker of Education of Ukraine, Chairman of the Lviv Regional Prosvita Society. In his speech, he emphasised that Shevchenko’s work is not only a literary heritage, but also a powerful driver of the national idea:
– We gather not only to commemorate the great genius, but also to feel the power of his words.
Shevchenko evening at Lviv Philharmonic was filled with poetry, music, theatre performance and ballet. The event was opened by the Gaudeamus National Students’ Choir that solemnly performed Testament, which all those present in the hall listened to standing, and after the performance gave loud applause.
The evening’s programme included a variety of performances, and the culmination was the joint performance of The Mighty Dnipro Roars, after which the audience did not let the artists go for a long time, applauding for several minutes.
An important moment of the evening was the presentation of the honorary award of the All-Ukrainian Prosvita Society to Stepan Shalata, Director of the Prosvita People’s House at Lviv Polytechnic National University, for his contribution to the development of Ukrainian culture.
Yaroslav Pitko summed up the evening:
– Today we are talking about Shevchenko not only as a classic, but as a symbol of love for Ukraine – a love that leads to self-sacrifice and is immortal.
