King of the UK presents order to Ukrainian conductor Kyrylo Karabyts

Kyrylo Karabyts. Photo: https://kirillkarabits.com/
Kyrylo Karabyts. Photo: https://kirillkarabits.com/

Ukrainian conductor Kyrylo Karabyts has been recognised with an Honorary OBE from the King of the UK for promoting Ukrainian music.

He received the award from His Majesty on 21 March "for Services to Music and the promotion of symphonic works from Ukraine and Eastern Europe in the UK," as reported by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Opera Wire.

Kyrylo Karabyts is a Kyiv native who has been the principal conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in the south-west of England since 2009.

In October of this year, he will have served 15 years in this position and will become the artistic director of the Voices from the East project.

During his 15 years at the helm of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Karabyts has performed over 60 works from Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

"I am deeply grateful to receive this Honorary OBE for the journey I have been privileged to share with the BSO’s musicians and audiences over the past 15 years — I’m deeply proud of what we have achieved together," says Karabyts.

He added that he was looking forward to performing in Bristol, Poole and London this spring.

Dougie Scarfe, General Director of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, also commented on the award.

"We are thrilled that Kyrylo’s impact on the UK’s musical landscape has been recognised with an Honorary OBE. He is a musical detective unlike any other and it has been an adventure to explore this music," Scarfe noted.

Background: Kyrylo Karabyts is the son of the composer Ivan Karabyts, who, in 2009, took over the helm of one of the UK's major symphony orchestras.

He has also worked with other famous orchestras worldwide, including the Vienna, Chicago, French National, Sydney Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, BBC Orchestra, and others.

At the same time, during the full-scale war, Karabyts, like conductor Oksana Lyniv, received public criticism for performing works by Russian composers Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff.

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