Concert: From Silence to Light

The P&P Quintet, a male vocal quintet from Lviv, takes us on a spiritual journey through the eras of Ukrainian vocal music.

The five professional singersMaksym Salnikov, tenorIhor Znetyniak, tenorVolodymyr Punko, tenorVasyl Hnypiuk, baritoneMatvii Melnyk, bassformed the P&P Quintet in 2016.

The P&P Quintet’s (English spelling) primary activity is providing musical accompaniment for church events at St. Peter and Paul Church in Lviv; since the start of the war in Ukraine, these have unfortunately mostly been funeral services for fallen soldiers from the Lviv area.

The P&P Quintet is rooted in Ukrainian sacred choral literature. However, its repertoire also includes classical and contemporary works, Ukrainian folk songs, Ukrainian retro music, and jazz—some of which feature their own arrangements.

In July 2022, the P&P Quintet performed as part of a professional chamber choir at the Verbier Festival, presenting the a cappella work “Prayer for Ukraine” by Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov. Since that highly acclaimed concert appearance in Verbier, the quintet has performed at several concerts in 2022, 2023, and 2024 in Upper Valais, Lower Valais, the canton of Bern, as well as in Zurich and Lucerne.

For the five young singers, this represents a welcome break from their often very stressful professional and wartime daily lives.