---
title: "Franko's Poetry in Virtual Reality: Ukraine Creates 12 Immersive VR Singles to Mark the Classic's 170th Anniversary"
description: "To mark the 170th anniversary of Ivan Franko, Ukraine has created 12 immersive VR singles combining the classic's poetry with chamber music and electroacoustics. The recording took place at the National Philharmonic."
date: 2026-08-26T12:10:01.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/franko-sound-continuum-360-vr-music-170th-anniversary
tags: [ivan-franko, vr-music, ukrainian-classical-music, electroacoustics, immersive-audio, cultural-project, national-philharmonic]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Franko's Poetry in Virtual Reality: Ukraine Creates 12 Immersive VR Singles to Mark the Classic's 170th Anniversary

![Performers on stage during the immersive VR single presentation for Ivan Franko's 170th anniversary](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/26/franko-sound-continuum-360-vr-muzyka-170-letie/franko-sound-continuum-360-vr-muzyka-170-letie-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- To mark the 170th anniversary of Ivan Franko, the project FRANKO: Sound Continuum 360° was launched — 12 immersive VR singles for voice and piano
- The recording took place on 2 August 2026 on the stage of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, with the participation of professional musicians and VR artists
- The repertoire includes ten romances by 19th–20th century composers and two new works featuring electroacoustics, written by Oleksandr Chornyi and Tetyana Khoroshun
- The idea of the project belongs to pianist Mariia Prylypko; the vocalists were selected through an open online casting
- The project is implemented by the public organization "Dusha UA Cultural and Artistic Foundation" with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation

To mark the 170th anniversary of Ivan Franko's birth, Ukraine has launched a large-scale music-technology project, **FRANKO: Sound Continuum 360°**, which transforms the poetry of the national classic into an immersive audiovisual experience. The initiative is being carried out by the public organization "Dusha UA Cultural and Artistic Foundation" with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation and involves the creation of 12 VR singles for voice and piano, combining the chamber-vocal tradition, Franko's poetic texts, contemporary compositional practices, and virtual reality technology. As envisioned by the creators, listeners will be able not merely to hear the music but to fully immerse themselves in the created digital space, opening up new possibilities for experiencing Ukraine's musical heritage.

### Recording on the Stage of the National Philharmonic

The project's main studio session took place on 2 August 2026 on the stage of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine. The recording involved professional musicians, sound engineer Andrii Mokrytskyi, and a team of VR artists responsible for creating the digital space for each single. The 360° recording format captures the sound scene from all sides, which, combined with the visual VR component, produces a sense of presence unattainable in traditional stereo or even surround formats.

### Repertoire: From Lysenko to Electroacoustics

The programme includes ten romances and solo songs by Ukrainian composers of the 19th–20th centuries set to the poetry of Ivan Franko. The repertoire spans a wide historical range: from Mykola Lysenko and Denys Sichynskyi through Yaroslav Lopatynskyi, Stanislav Liudkevych, Borys Lyatoshynskyi, Fedor Nadenenko, Anatolii Kos-Anatolskyi, Vasyl Barvynskyi, and Bohdana Filts to Lesia Dychko. Thus, the project builds a continuous "sound continuum" — from the national romanticism of the late 19th century through the modernist explorations of the 20th century to contemporary practices.

### Two New Works Featuring Electroacoustics

Separately, for FRANKO: Sound Continuum 360°, contemporary composers Oleksandr Chornyi and Tetyana Khoroshun wrote two original works set to the texts of Ivan Franko. These compositions actively employ electroacoustics, modern compositional techniques, elements of improvisation, and experiments with sound space. It is precisely these two singles that close the "continuum," linking the classical heritage with cutting-edge sound design technology and demonstrating that Franko's poetry is capable of finding a new voice in the digital environment.

### Mariia Prylypko and the Open Casting for Young Vocalists

The idea of the project belongs to pianist and accompanist Mariia Prylypko, who also served as artistic curator. As part of the initiative, she worked with young vocalists selected through an open online casting. For each performer, the team individually selected the work best suited to their voice, temperament, and musical individuality. "The most interesting and at the same time the most challenging task for me was not only to choose the performers but also to find for each of them the very romance in which their voice, temperament, and musical individuality could be revealed most fully," Prylypko said. On the stage of the National Philharmonic on the day of the recording gathered precisely this group of young artists, whose names made up the project's ensemble.

### Classical Music Beyond the Concert Hall

FRANKO: Sound Continuum 360° is intended to demonstrate that Ukrainian classical music can exist not only within the walls of concert halls but also in the modern digital environment. The combination of poetry, chamber music, and VR technology is aimed at making the cultural heritage more accessible to a young audience accustomed to interactive forms of content consumption. The project thus becomes a bridge between tradition and innovation, affirming that 170 years after Ivan Franko's birth, his word continues to sound — now in a new, virtual dimension.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [To Mark the 170th Anniversary of Ivan Franko, His Poetry Will Be Turned into 360° VR Music](https://wave.rbc.ua/ukr/culture/170-richchya-ivana-franka-yogo-poeziyu-peretvoryat-1787744904.html) - Источник содержит полную информацию о проекте: название, количество синглов, дату и место записи, список композиторов, авторов новых произведений, инициатора проекта и организацию-реализатора. Внутренних противоречий не выявлено.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: How many singles are included in the FRANKO: Sound Continuum 360° project?
**A:** The project includes 12 immersive VR singles for voice and piano: ten romances and solo songs by Ukrainian composers of the 19th–20th centuries set to the poetry of Ivan Franko, as well as two new works written specifically for the project.

### Q: When and where did the recording of the singles take place?
**A:** The recording took place on 2 August 2026 on the stage of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, with the participation of professional musicians, sound engineer Andrii Mokrytskyi, and VR artists.

### Q: Who is the author of the project's idea?
**A:** The idea of the project belongs to pianist and accompanist Mariia Prylypko, who also curated the selection of works for each of the young vocalists chosen through an open online casting.

### Q: What modern technologies are used in the project?
**A:** The project combines 360° sound recording, VR visualization, electroacoustics, modern compositional techniques, and experiments with sound space. The listener can immerse themselves in the created digital space rather than simply listen to the music.

### Q: Who implements and funds the project?
**A:** FRANKO: Sound Continuum 360° is implemented by the public organization "Dusha UA Cultural and Artistic Foundation" with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.