Ukrainian Choir “Songs for Ukraine” Brings “Carol of the Bells” to King Charles III’s Christmas Address

The Ukrainian choir “Songs for Ukraine” took part in the closing segment of Britain’s King Charles III’s annual Christmas address, performing a traditional carol.

The choir shared the news on its Facebook page on December 25.

The performance took place at Westminster Abbey, where the ensemble presented a new arrangement of Carol of the Bells, inspired by Shchedryk by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych.

Soloists Olha Terletska and Arina Koroletska were joined by members of the Royal Opera Chorus, royal harpist Mared Pugh-Evans, and military musicians from the Royal Air Force Brigade, the Royal Marines, and the Household Division.

“It has been a great honour for our choir to be part of The King's Christmas Broadcast. Our chorus remains a powerful voice for the Ukrainian community in the UK, many of whom have been forced from their homes by war,” ", said Bohdan Parashchak, Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Songs for Ukraine Chorus.

The choir said that as Ukraine nears the end of a fourth year of full-scale war, “with peace still out of reach,” such moments help keep the country in public focus and reinforce the strong bonds between the United Kingdom and Ukraine.

“Through the beauty of Ukrainian music, we are reminded that even in the darkest times, light can shine, bringing hope, resilience, and joy at Christmas,” the choir added.

Additionally, the musical score of Shchedryk by Mykola Leontovych is now displayed on one of the walls of New York’s most prestigious concert venue, Carnegie Hall.

According to the Ukrainian Institute on December 25, a high-quality facsimile of Leontovych’s manuscript was recently transferred to the institution and installed at Carnegie Hall as a symbol of the historical continuity of Ukraine’s musical presence on this stage, from the work’s North American premiere in 1922 to Ukraine’s contemporary cultural diplomacy. It was after that first performance in the United States that the melody rapidly gained popularity and later became known worldwide as the Christmas anthem Carol of the Bells.

Liubov Morozova, program manager for the Music direction at the Ukrainian Institute, recalled that the world premiere of Shchedryk took place on December 29, 1916, in the building that now houses the National Philharmonic of Ukraine.

Between 1919 and 1921, the piece was performed abroad during touring concerts of the Ukrainian Republican Capella under the direction of Oleksandr Koshyts in Czechoslovakia, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, and other European countries.

Shchedryk was first performed at Carnegie Hall on October 5, 1922. It returned to the same stage on June 18, 1990, performed by the Dudaryk Choir under the direction of Mykola Katsal.

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According to Morozova, “the composition draws from an archaic, pre-Christian layer of Ukrainian folklore, dating back to a time when the New Year was celebrated in spring, and is based on a Volyn variant of a shchedrivka  from the Polissia region.”

She noted that despite its apparent simplicity, Leontovych rewrote Shchedryk five times, with time ultimately proving the perfection of the form he achieved.

Earlier, the British music outlet Resident Advisor published its ranking of the 200 greatest electronic tracks released between 2000 and 2025, featuring Strong-Willed, a collaboration between Ukrainian vocalist Yana Pavlova and producer Pavel Milyakov.

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