Sequentia in Kyiv

Veteran Sequentia duo Bagby and Norbert Roden­kirchen will return to Ukraine for a third time, participating in the Baroque music festival in Kyiv.

Benjamin Bagby, Norbert Rodenkirchen

They will perform a special new program, 'Medieval Fragments' on 14 November 2026. This year's festival has the theme, "The Unfathomable as Hope" and is "...dedicated to the boundless nature of experimentation—from revisiting established genre and stylistic conventions to radically expanding ideas about the limits of sound worlds, and thereby expanding the imagination of what is possible".

Responding to this theme, we propose a special program based on fragmentary medieval sources: songs of exile, of ancient ruins, of judgement and endless waiting, and of the unfathomable hope which makes life possible.

Our previous trips to Kyiv and Lviv were filled with discovery, friendship, deep solidarity and respect. We gave lectures, met with composers, coached performers, gave interviews, and performed both in the Philharmonie in Lviv (with live-streaming) and a large art gallery in Kyiv (where our rehearsal was interrupted by a quick trip to the shelter). We bring our medieval witnesses into a living situation fueled by hope and optimism, making a connection to those ancient European voices which knew such trials, and prevailed.

While in Kyiv we will also speak about our work.