The Ukrainian pianist Taras Filenko performs a duet with the Korean violinist Park Yeo-jin of “Melody,” the signature work by Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk, at the Goethe-Institut Korea in Seoul’s Yongsan District on Aug. 24, 2026. (Cheon Ho-sung/Hankyoreh)
On Monday evening, an older gentleman in black traditional Ukrainian garb rested his hands on the piano in the auditorium of the Goethe-Institut Korea, halfway up Mt. Namsan, in central Seoul.The pianist joined the Korean violinist Park Yeo-jin for a performance of “Melody,” the signature work by Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk. Projected on a screen behind the performers was an image of “The Wounded Bird,” a sculpture by contemporary Ukrainian artist Leon Hushcha.Audience members gazed in turn at the musicians and the injured bird painted yellow and blue, with many eyes gently closing or brimming with tears at the climax of the plaintive piece.The pianist at this concert — which was organized by the Delegation of the European Union to Korea to celebrate Ukraine’s Independence Day — was 68-year-old Taras Filenko.A former associate dean of conducting and voice at the Ukrainian National Academy of Music in Kyiv, Filenko left the classroom after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of his homeland in February 2022.He has since given more than 100 performances in such places as the US, South America, Africa and China, introducing global audiences to Ukrainian culture.The Hankyoreh met with Filenko at the Ukrainian Embassy in Seoul’s Yongsan District on Tuesday to learn more about the message he hopes to convey.
