THE ROCK SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
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The Rock Symphony Orchestra — an international music project created in Ukraine in 2014 by producers Ihor Voloshyn and Olena Voloshyna. |
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The Rock Symphony Orchestra — an international music project created in Ukraine in 2014 by producers Ihor Voloshyn and Olena Voloshyna. |
The project’s musical language is formed at the intersection of symphonic music, rock, choral and vocal art. Depending on the program, the stage features a symphony orchestra, rock band, academic choir, conductor, vocal soloists and opera voices. In total, from 80 to 180 artists may take part in a concert simultaneously.
Special arrangements and scores are created for the project. The concert programs are structured as cohesive musical and stage productions, where music, direction, scenography, lighting and multimedia solutions create a unified spectacle.
Over more than 11 years, The Rock Symphony Orchestra has evolved from its first idea in Kyiv to large-scale international tours and the biggest European stages.
The project was created by producers Ihor Voloshyn and Olena Voloshyna, who have worked in the concert industry since 1998. Over the years of their professional careers, they have gained experience working with international artists, major cultural projects, as well as French and American production teams.
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Olena Voloshyna creative producer |
Ihor Voloshyn producer |
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An important part of their professional journey was collaboration with directors, screenwriters, stage directors, scenographers and specialists from the film and entertainment industries, including those who worked on Hollywood projects. It was this experience that largely shaped the philosophy of The Rock Symphony Orchestra: to create not just a concert, but a full-scale stage performance, in which music, visual imagery and dramaturgy exist as a single whole. Work on the concept, the first arrangements and scores lasted more than a year. |
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THE FIRST PREMIEREOn February 14, 2015, The premiere immediately became a major event: three consecutive concerts were sold out, and in total the first performances were attended by more than 12,000 spectators. |
Around 140 artists were on stage simultaneously — a symphony orchestra, rock band, academic choir, vocal soloists and conductor
This marked the beginning of the project’s story, conceived
from the outset for large stages and audiences of thousands.
The Rock Symphony Orchestra did not invent the combination of rock and symphonic music. But from the very beginning, it followed its own path, transforming this combination into an independent concert format.
“We did not invent symphonic rock, but we became some of the pioneers in developing it as a large-scale spectacular show. For us, the orchestra is not a backdrop for a rock band, and the rock band is not an addition to the orchestra. We create a single musical organism in which the symphony orchestra, rock band, choir, opera voices and stage action exist on equal terms.”
— Olena Voloshyna,
Creative Producer of
The Rock Symphony Orchestra
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In the traditional model, the rock band remains the main protagonist, while the orchestra becomes its partner. In The Rock Symphony Orchestra, everything is different: orchestra + rock band + choir + opera + show — this is not a collection of separate elements, but a cohesive project. Over time, opera voices became part of its sound, while classical music became not only an instrumental foundation but also part of the overall dramaturgy. Today, many can perform Queen or Metallica with an orchestra, but over more than ten years The Rock Symphony Orchestra has created its own musical language and a universally recognizable stage format, in which different musical worlds exist simultaneously and on equal terms. For the audience, this means one essential thing: The Rock Symphony Orchestra is not a cover concert with symphonic accompaniment and not a rock band with a guest orchestra. |
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A spectacle that impresses with its scale, sound and atmosphere through a unique combination of rock, symphonic music, choir, opera and stage art |
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Over the years of the project’s existence, outstanding Ukrainian musicians have stood and continue to stand at the conductor’s podium. |
Mykola Lysenko Jr. — Honored Worker of Culture of Ukraine, Artistic Director and Conductor of the State Pop Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. He is the great-grandson of the great Ukrainian composer, pianist and folklorist — the “father” of Ukrainian classical music, creator of the first national opera “Taras Bulba” and the spiritual anthem “Prayer for Ukraine.
Nazar Yakobenchuk — opera-symphonic and choral conductor, laureate of the III Stefan Turchak International Conducting Competition, a musician with extensive experience working with leading Ukrainian ensembles.
Vadym Yatsenko — Honored Artist of Ukraine, Doctor of Arts, laureate of the All-Ukrainian Choral Conductors Competition, Chief Choirmaster of the Lviv National Opera, General Director and Artistic Director of the legendary Hryhorii Veryovka National Choir of Ukraine.
A special place in the history of the project belongs to Dmytro Zhanovych Antoniuk — Honored Arts Worker of Ukraine, conductor and Artistic Director of the Ensemble of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
He passed away in 2025. But for The Rock Symphony Orchestra, Dmytro Antoniuk will forever remain part of the project’s history — in the memory of the team and in the hearts of the audience.
A special place in the musical sound of The Rock Symphony Orchestra belongs to Bohdana Pivnenko — People’s Artist of Ukraine, laureate of international competitions, soloist of the National Ensemble of Soloists “Kyiv Camerata.” Her violin has become one of the vivid solo colors of the project’s concert sound.
Behind every score, every musical transition and every major stage are people who create the music anew every day — here and now.
HOW THE SHOW IS CREATED
Compositions may flow into one another, themes may return in a new sound, while symphonic, choral, vocal and rock episodes may become parts of a single dramaturgy. Musicians, arrangers, directors, scenographers, sound engineers, lighting designers and technical specialists work on the programs. At The Rock Symphony Orchestra, music provides the foundation, while everything else helps it unfold on stage. |
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After its premiere in Kyiv, The Rock Symphony Orchestra began actively touring Ukraine. Year by year, the number of concerts grew, the repertoire expanded, new programs were created, and the geography of Ukrainian touring was gradually complemented by international performances.
In 2017, the project went on tour to Poland for the first time.
In 2022, after the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the project’s concert activities were forced to be suspended.
In 2023, The Rock Symphony Orchestra returned to the international stage with a major tour of France. 32 concerts were held.
In 2025, The Rock Symphony Orchestra continued its international activities, presenting 20 concerts in 6 European countries — France, Poland, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria and Moldova.
Among the major venues of the tour were Le Dôme de Paris, Zénith Strasbourg, LDLC Arena, Wiener Stadthalle, TAURON Arena Kraków and Arena COS Torwar.
At some concerts, around 140 artists appeared on stage simultaneously.
2026 — A NEW SCALE
2026 marked one of the most significant stages in the international history of The Rock Symphony Orchestra.
The project completed a large-scale Arena Tour across 11 European countries, presenting 39 concerts attended by more than 120,000 spectators.
Behind these figures are dozens of cities, major arenas, hundreds of musicians and thousands of spectators who every evening became part of one great live event.
The format that was born in Kyiv in 2014 is now heard on the biggest European stages.
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Over more than ten years, much has changed: cities, stages, programs, lineups and the scale of the tours. But at its core remains the idea with which it all began: to create a space where symphonic music, rock, choir, opera and stage art do not compete with one another, but become a single story.
The Rock Symphony Orchestra does not try to prove that rock is better than classical music or that classical music is stronger than rock. It simply allows them to meet. And perhaps that is why every concert is perceived not as a repetition of familiar works, but as a new encounter — between music and the audience, between different generations and musical cultures. |
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From the first scores — to major international stages.
From a single idea — to a project that today brings together hundreds of thousands of people in different countries.
The Rock Symphony Orchestra. Created in Ukraine.
Born for the big stage. Open to thousands of hearts.
