A person does not seem to fly…

Motto:
"Humans can’t fly… Yet they have wings" (Lina Kostenko) — these words became the symbol of «Vyrіy» Choir, inspiring members and offering hope for a better future.

How It Began

In 2019, Hanna Malenka (then Tekucheva) announced auditions for a Ukrainian choir in Gdańsk. The idea had been developing for years, but the final push came from Hama GAK.

Concept

The choir was envisioned as:
✔️ An integration space for migrants
✔️ A community united through music
✔️ A mixed ensemble (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) to showcase Ukrainian songs’ richness

First Steps

The initial auditions attracted mostly:

• Ukrainians born in Poland
• People eager to preserve their heritage

Despite the shortage of male voices (common in amateur choirs), the group remains open to new members!

The choir's first concert took place at Stacja Orunia GAK. The choir shared the stage with Zespołem Pieśni i Tańca GAK (Gdańsk Song and Dance Ensemble) and a duo consisting of Tomasz Skarżyński (piano) and Hanna Tekucheva (vocals and guitar). The program featured 5 Ukrainian folk songs.

Origins of "Vyrіy"

Initially called "Integration Choir of Hama GAK", we dreamed of a more poetic name. Options included:

• Concordia (Latin for "harmony")
• Adamant (symbol of strength)
• Vox Populi ("voice of the people")
• Motanka (Ukrainian protective doll)

But we unanimously chose "Vyrіy" — a mythological paradise in Slavic folklore.

What is Vyrіy?

In ancient beliefs, Vyrіy (also Vyraj, Iriy) is:
✔️ A land of eternal warmth with the World Tree
✔️ Where birds migrate in winter and return in spring
✔️ A symbol of rebirth, home, and spiritual roots

For us, it’s the perfect metaphor:

"Like birds who left their nests, we’re growing new roots abroad through music — our own Ukrainian Vyrіy"

Logo Story

Designed by artist Hanna, the logo exists in Cyrillic and Latin versions.

Symbolism:

✒️ Calligraphy — the flow of singing
🪽 Letter "V" — stylized as a wing (birds’ migration)
🐦 Flock of birds above the last letter — flight toward warmth

Featured on our merch:
☕ Mugs with Lina Kostenko’s quote:
“Humans can’t fly… Yet they have wings. They have wings!”
🛍️ Tote bags & T-shirts

Why These Words?

They reflect our philosophy:

"The choir is our wings, lifting us above hardship, even in exile"

At our first concerts, we performed in vyshyvankas with black trousers, but we quickly realized we wanted a more professional and unified look. The first design was created by Hanna Malenka (then Tekucheva).

For the girls, we chose an elegant set:
✔️ Black blouses
✔️ Bright red skirts
✔️ Traditional red necklaces

(Red symbolizes love, black represents respect for traditions)

For the boys, we initially selected:
◼️ Black shirts
🔴 Red ties

But soon the concept evolved: Ukrainian craftswoman Yevheniia (a Gdańsk resident) embroidered traditional red Ukrainian patterns on the black shirts, which:
➔ Added national flair
➔ Enhanced the authentic look

These costumes were ready in early 2020 but made their debut only in late 2021 – during the first "live" concert after the pandemic.

In 2022, thanks to support from Gdańsk Archipelago of Culture and GAK, we acquired:
🎵 Branded black folders with gold embossing
✨ Partner organization logos
💫 A polished professional appearance

Now our stage outfits fully match our high performance standards!

The choir's second concert took place at the familiar venue of Stacja Orunia GAK. This time, the choir once again shared the stage with Zespół Pieśni i Tańca Gdańsk.

The evening's special guests were the vocal-instrumental trio VoDoGraj, consisting of:

• Hanna Tekucheva (vocals, guitar),
• Artem Letunovskyi (accordion),
• Valentyna Zamula (violin, vocals).

The best Polish and Ukrainian carols filled the hall with a special festive atmosphere that evening. Both the audience and performers were overwhelmed with emotions, and it's safe to say that this Christmas concert on the eve of the holidays brought warmth and joy to everyone.

The event concluded with a joint performance of «Znak Pokoju», which served as a harmonious finale to the concert and left a pleasant sense of unity in the hearts of all present.

The Viriy Choir, together with Domivka Gdańsk and local youth, organized a Christmas flashmob at one of the city's largest shopping centers - Forum Gdańsk.

During the flashmob, choir members and all visitors present at the mall sang the world-famous "Carol of the Bells" (Shchedryk) by Mykola Leontovych. Ukrainians who happened to be at the mall enthusiastically joined the flashmob, while Poles and other city guests listened with interest and recorded this incredible event, openly showing their admiration.

The flashmob video was featured on Radio Liberty's page and has already garnered over 1,500,000 views!
https://fb.watch/sU45vEqUT0

In 2020, the world was gripped by the coronavirus pandemic, forcing the choir to move its activities into the virtual space. To preserve the progress made and avoid the risk of losing members, the decision was made to continue working online.

During this time, the choir learned and recorded six songs—a significant challenge both technically and psychologically. Not all choir members agreed to work in the new format, but those who accepted this challenge now have a keepsake in the form of audio and video recordings.

Additionally, auditions for new members were held during this online period, and many of them remain active choir members today. This experience strengthened the group and demonstrated its ability to adapt to new circumstances.

Following our successful online debut, we moved to the next stage of recording our cover of "Old Photographs" by Skryabin. The preparation was quite thorough - Hanna recorded weekly video lessons for each individual vocal part, where she meticulously broke down each section of the song.

The task for choir members was to watch the lesson, record their part, and send it to Hanna. This process continued until the entire song was recorded. Afterwards, each choir member filmed their performance, and Hanna combined all the elements into one cohesive piece.

The result turned out amazing - the video became very popular online, gathering over 15,000 views. This was not only an important moment for our choir but also proof that music has the power to unite and inspire people.

Building on our experience with online performances, we decided to take on a new challenge: recording a mini-concert consisting of three songs. This time our work was organized in a combined format: Hanna met with each vocal part separately online and also recorded video lessons.

To achieve higher quality, each choir member visited Hanna individually at GAMA GAK, where she first recorded the audio and then the video. This approach allowed us to achieve quality sound and visual effects.

A wonderful addition to our mini-concert was a poem by poet Halyna Yavorska, which she personally recorded for our performance. This added special atmosphere and depth to the concert.

The result of our joint work was incredible and impressed our audience. The recording of "Dark Night" carol was broadcast multiple times on radio waves and was also used for our participation in the online Vertep Fest, being shown on Ukrainian television, which allowed us to enter the Ukrainian media space.

This experience confirmed that teamwork and passion for music can create something truly unique and extraordinary.

The coronavirus pandemic didn't stop our creativity - we actively continued working online.

In January 2021, we participated in Vertep Fest, which this time took place online. At the festival, we presented the carol "Dark Night" recorded in 2020. The video was viewed by thousands of people and was even featured on Ukrainian television, which became an important event for our choir.

For us as a group operating outside Ukraine, it's especially important to be heard in our homeland. We're glad that even during the difficult times of the pandemic, we could bring our creativity to Ukrainian audiences.

We sincerely thank everyone who supports us and follows our projects!

The pandemic continues, but we haven't stopped. This time, we've created a special musical-poetic video composition titled "Tchnienie Wiosny" ("Breath of Spring").

Each choir member recorded their part of the song "Christ Is Risen" at home, adhering to quarantine requirements. The video was enhanced with poetic lines by Halyna Yavorska, read in duet with her husband Andriy Yavorsky. The visuals harmoniously blend poetry with music, embodying themes of rebirth and hope.

We also incorporated fragments from last year's Easter recordings, adding emotional depth. The composition's central themes are Easter and spring — symbols of new life, awakening, and light amidst darkness.

We sincerely thank everyone who continues to support us during these challenging times. We hope "Tchnienie Wiosny" will bring you inspiration, warmth, and faith in better days.

In 2022, the world witnessed Russia's brutal aggression against peaceful Ukraine - an event that turned the lives of millions of Ukrainians upside down. This war fundamentally changed our worldview and undoubtedly affected our choir's activities.

We didn't stand aside - we helped refugees adapt to new conditions, provided informational and emotional support, organized and participated in numerous charity concerts for Ukraine. Even when an event wasn't aimed at fundraising, we always spoke about the war - so people would remember and not grow accustomed to it.

Our repertoire gained patriotic songs and compositions reflecting the pain, hope, and struggle. In 2022, we gave many performances, and we sincerely believe our presence and active civic stance helped someone survive these difficult times.

We won't stop. We stand together. We stand for Ukraine.

One day, our director Hanna received a call from Małgorzata Wojnarska - the assistant and manager of Polish musician, composer, and producer L.U.C. She invited us to participate in the grand "Let Poland Be Poland" concert in Katowice, held at the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR) hall - one of Europe's finest concert venues with over a thousand seats.

This proposal was both extraordinarily honorable and challenging. We were to perform not only Ukrainian songs but also collaborate with Rebel Babel Orchestra, Abradab, Grzegorz Markowski, Karolina Czarnecka, and other renowned artists.

We accepted the challenge - and it seems we excelled.
The collaboration with L.U.C bore fruit:

• He invited us to the prestigious Brass Wood festival at Opera Leśna in Sopot,
• Proposed we join recording sessions with other musicians,
• And ultimately - participate in creating music for the Oscar-nominated film "The Peasants" ("Chłopi").

But that's a whole other story we'll gladly tell separately.
Thank you to everyone supporting us on this creative journey!

One of the most significant events this year was our participation in recording music for the Polish film „Chłopi”, which was Poland's Oscar submission and received a nomination for Best Original Score.

We had the honor of performing choral parts for two scenes in the film. It was a true challenge: during post-production, the film kept changing, affecting the duration of musical episodes. We repeatedly adjusted the scores and re-recorded fragments to adapt to the new film structure. But in the end — everything worked out!

We are immensely grateful for this unique opportunity and for the experience that will stay with us forever.
Special thanks to Łukasz „L.U.C.” Rostkowski, the composer and project creator, for trusting us and inviting us to be part of this monumental work.

This adventure is further proof that music knows no borders, and a Ukrainian choir in Poland can be part of a grand international artistic process.

In December 2023, we participated in a unique event organized by the Emigration Museum in Gdynia - a theatrical-musical performance with giant puppets, celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Maritime Station. We performed in the final act.

The event began at sea - we sailed on a ship singing, then moved to the museum hall. The performance told the story of Agatha from Congo and her animals who arrived in Gdynia on their ark.

On December 9, 2023, all participants of the "Arka Ahgathe" project - artists, volunteers and city residents - joined forces to create an interactive theatrical performance expressing concepts of home, journey, friendship, daily life and hospitality.

This was an extraordinary experience we will remember for years to come.