The official presentation of a bust of the famous world opera singer, Solomiya Krushelnytska took place in the Grand theatre of the Polish National Opera in Warsaw on November 19. Grzegorz Chelmeсki, deputy director of the Polish National Opera opened the gala evening. The event was also attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Poland Olexander Motsyk.

The bust of the famous Ukrainian, made under assistance of the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Open Ukraine Foundation, became a showpiece of the prominent artists’ gallery of the Warsaw Opera House. "Recognition of our compatriot among the best artists of the Warsaw Opera House is the historical demonstration of the fact that Ukraine is a part of the Europe. This also confirms the significant contributions of many prominent Ukrainians to the development of the European civilization.

Through such very steps the Open Ukraine Foundation aspires to remind both to Europeans and Ukrainians the moments of our shared history, to mark what we can be proud of. These are not the first actions of the Foundation in this regard. Last year, for example, we opened in Vienna the memorial to the first Minister of Health of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, our compatriot Ivan Horbachevsky"- the director of the Foundation Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze said during the official presentation of the bust.

The sculptural composition was made by the people’s artist of Ukraine Vasyl Yarych. The bust itself is made of bronze; a stand and a column are of granite. The total height of the composition is over two meters. This will be the first bust of Solomiya Krushelnytska in Poland according to the composition’s architect, the honored artist Orest Skop. Artistic image, that inspired the creators, was the image of Krushelnytska in the role of Countess in the same-named opera of Stanisław Moniuszko.

Four years of Solomiya Krushelnytska’s activity are connected to the Warsaw period. Her performances on stage of the Warsaw Opera raised unprecedentedly the success of Moniuszko's operas. It is considered that Krushelnytska was the best performer of the “Galka” role in the same-named opera, for what the Poles often call her "Polish" opera singer.

"For more than a century Solomiya Krushelnytska has been considered to be one of the leading figures in the history of Polish opera. Now she returns to Warsaw. The bust will stand near the so-called "Redut halls" of the Grand theatre - the part that remained unhurt during the destruction of Warsaw in the years of the World War II, so these buildings still remember the proud walk of our prima donna"- said Rostislav Kramar, the initiator of events, teacher of Warsaw University, the Ukrainian public figure in Poland.

The adornment of the gala evening became the presentation of the sisters Natalya and Galyna Datsko, invited to the solemn event by the Open Ukraine Foundation. Lviv opera singers performed arias from the repertoire of Solomiya Krushelnytska.