But they could hardly have imagined what they would be getting in return: the deeply touching performance of Solomia’s own songs, her poems, her musical accompaniment and explanations of what was being presented and what Ukraine was undergoing.
Solomia (Olena Karpenko is her real, off-stage name) wrote the words and music of all the songs she performed, as well as the short poems she recited. She noted, however, that some were based on other authors, like Lina Kostenko, or novels, like “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors,” or foreign songs, like “Anyone Can Fly.”
Near the end of the two-hour presentation, Solomia performed what she wrote last year about her brother, “Ty” (You).
She began singing her songs with her own accompaniment on a Yamaha digital piano. Later, she also sang along with recorded accompaniments.
Solomia noted that this was the last concert on this, her first U.S. tour, which included Los Angeles, Denver, San Francisco and Chicago.