Lviv is currently undergoing a large-scale digitization of the cultural legacy of world-renowned opera singer Solomiya Krushelnytska. The Music Memorial Museum bearing her name is developing a digital platform that will provide access to rare artifacts, documents, and recordings related to the life and work of the legendary Ukrainian soprano. The initiative is supported by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation in collaboration with the Galician Music Society — one of the oldest cultural institutions in the region.
“We strive to ensure that everyone who loves culture and is interested in the history of music can engage with unique artifacts and discover new chapters in the life of Solomiya Krushelnytska and other renowned artists whose names are preserved in our museum,” — reports Humanitarian Media Hub, citing the museum’s press release.
The digital platform being developed will serve as a virtual space for researchers, musicologists, and anyone interested in Ukrainian and European musical heritage. The museum’s collection includes over 26,000 items — from Krushelnytska’s personal belongings to archives of other prominent figures such as Oleksandr Myshuha, Modest Mentsynsky, Liubka Kolessa, Stanislav Liudkevych, Vasyl Barvinsky, and others.
Among the most valuable exhibits are family photographs, the only preserved blouse worn by Krushelnytska, a 1928 “Columbia” record featuring Ukrainian songs performed by the diva, and a bronze medallion with her profile as Salome, crafted by Italian sculptor Farnese after her role in the Italian premiere of Richard Strauss’s opera. These artifacts not only hold historical significance but also form a rich source base for musicological research.
“Our collections are a ready-made source base for studying the history of Ukrainian musical art and global culture,” emphasizes the museum’s chief curator Iryna Kryvoruchka.
The digitization process includes various types of museum sources — photographs, audio recordings, physical objects, visual materials, manuscripts. This will allow not only viewing the documents but also engaging with them on a deeper level. According to Danuta Bilavych, head of the museum’s research department, digitization opens new opportunities for academic study and promotes the legacy of Solomiya Krushelnytska.
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