Hart House, in partnership with Kosa Arts and St. Volodymyr Institute, is proud to present a special evening of art, history, and community action. This event brings together song, scholarship, and storytelling to reflect on Ukraine’s deep cultural roots and its ongoing significance in shaping our shared world.
The event will feature a keynote lecture by Dr. Timothy Snyder, acclaimed historian and Chair in Modern European History, supported by the Temerty Endowment for Ukrainian Studies, at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, who will offer insights on Ukraine’s place in global history—from the earliest human settlements north of the Black Sea to the enduring myths and ideas that continue to influence modern culture.
Kosa Arts singers will open the evening by sharing the living culture of Ukrainian folk songs, traditions passed down through generations. Singing is one of the oldest ways humans have communicated and carried knowledge, and these songs reflect that history. They hold traces of earlier cultural practices in their stories, structures and worldviews, offering a way to listen to how memory, ritual and community move through time and continue to shape Ukrainian life today.
The event is free for students and by donation for guests, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian initiatives by the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.
Keynote Lecture Description:
The application of advanced technology has had the greatest impact on the earliest periods of history and indeed on pre-history. In the lands of today’s Ukraine, north of the Black Sea, the effect has been especially striking; it forces a reconsideration of the origins of large-scale human settlement and confirms a thesis about the origins of Indo-European languages. But this is just the beginning: familiar landmarks of European and global history take on a different form when viewed from the perspective of those lands, and indeed elements of what might seem to be our own modern or post-modern culture take on a surprising coherence. This lecture will begin with the pre-history, alienate and then reclaim familiar aspects of Greek, Roman, and medieval history, and close with an attempt to integrate, on the basis of some new knowledge of the past, some canonical myths and legends.
Timothy Snyder Biography:
Timothy Snyder holds the inaugural Chair in Modern European History, supported by the Temerty Endowment for Ukrainian Studies, at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. He is also a permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna and the head of the academic advisory council of Ukrainian History Global Initiative.
A scholar of the history of Central Europe, Ukraine, the Soviet Union, and the Holocaust, Snyder speaks five and reads ten European languages. He is the author or editor of twenty books published in forty languages. Snyder writes for the press on Ukraine, the U.S, authoritarianism, digital politics, health, and education. He has also appeared in documentaries, on television, and as an expert witness before several parliaments. He has received state orders and decorations as well as honorary doctorates.
His work has inspired demonstrations, sculpture, posters, punk rock, rap, film, theatre, and an opera.
timothysnyder.org
snyder.substack.com
munkschool.utoronto.ca/phl
Fundraising initiative:
Canada Ukraine Foundation
Founded in 1995 during the 18th Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) was established to coordinate, develop, and deliver humanitarian assistance from Canadians to Ukraine.
CUF continues to play a vital role as a national charitable foundation, working to monitor, promote, and support humanitarian aid initiatives. Its mission includes evaluating projects, fostering collaboration among aid providers, setting strategic priorities,
and ensuring resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact. CUF also serves as a forum for individuals and organizations—across community, private, and public sectors—committed to supporting Ukraine.
In addition to its work abroad, CUF also supports related initiatives within Canada. To learn more:cufoundation.ca
About presenters:
Kosa Arts
This initiative is part of the Talking Walls exhibition titled Future Folkways: Reclaiming Rituals, Remaking Roots, marking the 15th anniversary of Kosa Kolektiv, a Toronto-based community of artists, cultural activists, and diaspora members exploring, reclaiming, and celebrating Ukrainian and Slavic folk traditions. Through this community, Kosa Folk Arts was established (formerly known as Folk Camp), continuing the work of cultural preservation and creative reinvention.
SVI
St. Volodymyr Institute (SVI) is a Ukrainian cultural and educational centre in downtown Toronto that for more than six decades has supported learning, artistic expression, and community engagement. With a residence, theatre, library, archives, and exhibition spaces, SVI hosts a wide range of cultural programs and provides space for organizations focused on Ukrainian Canadian heritage.
SVI is now undertaking a major development project to create a renewed cultural hub, expanding partnerships, integrating innovation, and strengthening its role in cultural programming, education, and community connection.
Hart House at the University of Toronto
Hart House, a centre for experiential learning at the University of Toronto, has served as a gathering place since 1919. Located in a historic neo-Gothic building, it offers space for arts, dialogue, wellness, and community engagement, welcoming students and the broader public year-round.