Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra: Shifting Paradigms of Politics and Classical Music

Abstract Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra (UFO) is an ensemble created in 2022 after Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine as an initiative of Keri-Lynn Wilson, Canadian conductor with Ukrainian roots, Waldemar Dąbrowski, director of the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera in Warsaw, and Peter Gelb, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The aim of the article is to analyze how the UFO can be understood as a soft power tool, how the ensembleʼs repertoire used classical music to create a message of solidarity, in particular Ludwig van Beethovenʼs Ninth Symphony, and how it was received, focusing on the documentary Beethovenʼs Ninth: Ode to Humanity directed by Larry Weinstein.