Volodymyr Runchak – Contra Spem Spero – European Festival: Ukrainian Spring 2026

Volodymyr Runchak (b. 1960) Contra Spem Spero European Festival: Ukrainian Spring 2026 Nordic Saxophone Quartet Johannes Thorell, soprano saxophone Martin Eriksson, alto saxophone Mathias Karlsen Björnstad, tenor saxophone Anna Magnusson, baritone saxophone French Reformed Church Stockholm 11 April 2026 Named after Lesya Ukrainka's iconic poem 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰! ("Without hope, I hope"), 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗱𝘆𝗺𝘆𝗿 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗸's 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰 was performed by the Nordic Saxophone Quartet as part of the 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹: 𝗨𝗸𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲. Led by the Ukrainian Institute in Sweden in collaboration with more than 35 partners, the festival celebrates Ukraine as an integral part of Europe's shared cultural heritage and common future.