The set of three silver commemorative coins is dedicated to one of Ukraine’s national musical symbols — the world-renowned carol “Shchedryk” arranged by Mykola Leontovych.
From 1919 to 1924, the Ukrainian Republican Capella, led by the outstanding conductor Oleksandr Koshyts, gave over 600 concerts in major music centers around the world. The jewel of the choir’s repertoire was “Shchedryk”, which was performed on October 5, 1922, in Carnegie Hall, one of New York’s most prestigious concert venues.
Later, American conductor of Ukrainian origin Peter Wilhousky wrote new English lyrics to the melody of “Shchedryk” and arranged it for a symphony orchestra. This gave birth to “Carol of the Bells”, one of the most famous and beloved Christmas songs in the world, whose melody resembles the sound of ringing bells.
