Newswire | Odesa Classics Makes North American Debut

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OTTAWA, ON — This July, Ottawa will host a cultural event of profound international significance as Odesa Classics, Ukraine’s celebrated international music festival, makes its North American debut as part of Ottawa Chamberfest 2026.

Odesa Classics was founded in 2015 by acclaimed pianist Alexey Botvinov and quickly became one of Europe’s leading classical music festivals. Each summer, it welcomed globally renowned artists and orchestras to Odesa, the historic Ukrainian city regarded as the “Pearl of the Black Sea.”

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the festival, like roughly one third of Ukraine’s population, was forced from its home—but it did not disappear. Instead, Odesa Classics continued across Europe, presenting more than 60 concerts in seven countries as a powerful act of cultural resilience and artistic solidarity.

Now, for the first time, the festival arrives in Canada.

On July 25, Ottawa Chamberfest and Odesa Classics will present Odesa Classics: Festival in Exile at Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre. The all-Ukrainian program features works by Victoria Poleva, Alemdar Karamanov, and Vasyl Barvinsky, alongside the North American premiere of Valentyn Silvestrov’s new piano trio.

The performance brings together Ukrainian artists, including Alexey Botvinov, soprano Anna Pompeeva, and baritone Ihor Mostivoi, alongside Ukrainian-Canadian artists Carissa Klopoushak and Roman Borys, as well as Canadian artists from Gryphon Trio—Annalee Patipatanakoon, Jamie Parker, and Roman Borys—joined by Emily Kruspe and Sam Loeck.

The evening concludes with Myroslav Skoryk’s Melody in A Minor, performed alongside displaced Ukrainian musicians now living in the Outaouais region—a moving tribute to longing, loss, and endurance.

Extending beyond the concert hall, Odesa Classics’ presence at Chamberfest will unfold throughout the festival week with community programming, including a pre-concert Chamber Chat and a special late-night Chamberfringe performance by Daughters of Donbas on July 31.

Audiences travelling from outside Ottawa can make the most of their Chamberfest experience with preferred rates at The Lord Elgin Hotel, the festival’s official hotel partner, ideally situated in the heart of downtown and just minutes from Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre.