Nuron Mukumi in Freezing Kyiv: “Music Gives Strength and Warmth”
23.02.2026
The German-Uzbek pianist Nuron Mukumi has returned from Kyiv, where he performed a concert and held masterclasses. He shared his deeply moving impressions with Pizzicato.
Mukumi says: “The eight days there were very difficult—but also very moving. When I speak of ‘difficult,’ I am primarily referring to the nearly impossible living conditions of my friends and colleagues from the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, as well as the students I taught through the Vere Music Fund.”
His trips to Kyiv are particularly important to him “to be close to the people on the ground through masterclasses and solidarity concerts: to support them, to listen to them, to understand them, and to report on the conditions and the people who maintain cultural life under extreme circumstances. For the people there, it is important that they do not feel left alone and that we actively support them. Because music gives strength and warmth. Culture experienced together strengthens identity and resilience.”
Mukumi’s schedule was similar to his last trip: two days of masterclasses and a concert with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine under the baton of Volodymyr Sirenko at the National Philharmonic. Additionally, he performed a short live online concert afterwards with Mykola Liubenko, the orchestra’s principal cellist.
