Warsaw, Oct. 16 – The Polish National Opera at Teatr Wielki presents the fully staged world premiere of “The Mothers of Kherson,” an opera by Ukrainian composer Maxim Kolomiiets with a libretto by acclaimed American playwright George Brant. Commissioned by New York’s Metropolitan Opera, the work brings Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children to the international stage.
Conducted by Canadian-American maestro Keri-Lynn Wilson and directed by Barbara Wysocka, the production combines artistic achievement with a call for international attention to the fate of Ukraine’s children.
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“One of history’s most sinister war crimes”
Ahead of the premiere, Wilson dedicated her message to Ukrainian families still waiting for their children to return.
“As we have our final dress rehearsal this evening in Warsaw for ‘The Mothers of Kherson,’ my heart is with my beloved sisters and brothers in Ukraine who are waiting and hoping for the more than 20,000 children who are still missing – innocent victims of Russia’s brutal child kidnapping program,” Wilson said.
“Our world premiere Friday night is the true story of the mothers who embark on the heroic journey to rescue their children,” adding that “we hope the world will join us in bearing witness to one of history’s most sinister war crimes.”
Wilson conducted the opera’s concert premiere in Kyiv in early June at the National Opera of Ukraine. The Warsaw production marks its first fully staged performance.
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According to Ukraine’s “Children of War” platform, 20,651 children had been registered as deported or forcibly displaced since Russia’s full-scale invasion began. Of these, 2,689 had been returned, according to the figures provided for this article.
Three women, one mission
The opera follows three women from southern Ukraine: Kateryna (Izabela Matuła), Dasha (Kamila Dutkowska), and grandmother Olha (Małgorzata Walewska). They undertake an exhausting journey to recover children taken to Russian-controlled territory.
Based on real events, the work explores maternal love, solidarity, and the trauma of families torn apart by war. It opens with a lullaby combining an authentic Ukrainian folk melody with a newly composed section by Kolomiiets – a musical reminder of the protection every child deserves.
Ukrainian baritone Andrii Bondarenko plays Vitaly, a Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman and Kateryna’s husband, whose story connects the opera to the liberation of Kherson from Russian occupation on Nov. 11, 2022.
An international commission for Ukrainian music
The production marks a significant milestone for Ukrainian contemporary opera, bringing Kolomiiets’s work to two leading international institutions and ensuring that the stories of Ukrainian families reach audiences beyond the country.
In an interview with Kyiv Post, Kolomiiets discussed creating the opera and bringing Ukraine’s wartime experience to the international stage.
Metropolitan Opera General Manager Peter Gelb has also spoken about the institution’s commitment to Ukraine and the role of culture in bearing witness to the war. “This war is now longer than World War II, I think… It’s good for Ukrainian citizens to understand that there are efforts being made. I mean, even if the US government has stopped helping Ukraine, the fact that its premier arts institution has never given up in supporting Ukraine, and that we’re bringing this story to the world… I think by doing it here, first [it] shows the Ukrainian people that the world has not forgotten them” Gelb said.
Since 2022, Gelb and Wilson have become the prominent international advocates for Ukrainian music. Wilson conducted concerts in Ukraine and abroad, while also supporting Ukrainian musicians through the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra.
The opera’s US premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in New York is scheduled for the 2027-28 season.
Myroslava Makarevych has more than 30 years of experience as a journalist and editor. She has worked for BBC Ukrainian Service; for a number of publishing houses in Ukraine, like HFS (ELLE Ukraine), Edipresse and Sanoma Media (Sensa.Ukraine editor-in-chief). She collaborates with various socio-political media including zn.ua; nv.ua. She is the author of 7 original fairy tale books for children, and 3 publicist books.