Concerti in time of war: Double bass virtuoso James VanDemark premieres two new works by Ukrainian composers

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James VanDemark has never been one to take the conventional path. The celebrated US double bassist, educator and occasional boxer has made a career out of pushing boundaries – whether in the concert hall or the classroom. 

On 16 May, VanDemark will perform the world premieres of two concerti – Concertino by Maksim Kolomiiets and Candle by Mykhailo Shved – with the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Ukrainian-American conductor and violist Theodore Kuchar (the most recorded conductor of his generation).

The concert forms part of the orchestra’s 44th Virtuosos International Festival in Lviv, Ukraine, and marks a powerful convergence of musical collaboration and cultural solidarity.

Both works, which VanDemark commissioned, explore contrasting expressive realms of the double bass. Kolomiiets’ three-movement Concertino highlights the instrument’s singing lower register, echoing Ukrainian choral textures. Shved’s one-movement Candle soars into the lyrical heights of the upper register. 

A passionate advocate of new music as well as an influential pedagogue based at the Eastman School of Music, VanDemark points out how the process of commissioning and preparing the pieces has unfolded under extraordinary circumstances – not least Shved sending his score from Kyiv while sheltering from nightly attacks.

The project grew out of VanDemark’s chance re-connection with Kuchar, who invited him to fill in at short notice with the Lviv Philharmonic’s bass section – first in Rochester, New York, then again at Carnegie Hall. 

But VanDemark’s ties to Ukraine go back much further: as a teenager in Ontario, he was taken in by a Ukrainian family during a formative period of his life. That act of kindness left a lasting impression. ‘I have a debt to the Ukrainian people,’ he says. ‘They looked after me when I was a kid. Now it’s my turn.’

US correspondent Thomas May spoke with VanDemark ahead of the premieres about the music, the journey behind it, and the deeper meanings it carries in the current moment.

What led you to approach these two composers?

James VanDemark: Although I’d known of a few wonderful Ukrainian composers of the previous generation (Yevhen Stankovych and Valentin Silvestrov in particular), the conversations that I had with conductor Theodore Kuchar kept leading both of us to look at younger composers. Kolomiiets and Shved stood out and both were amenable to an American bassist coming to Ukraine – and soon – to premiere their works. The importance of an American giving premieres of Ukrainian works in Ukraine wasn’t lost!

It’s worth noting that Shved had previously apologised about the delay in getting parts to me, as there was a stretch of several weeks in which Kyiv was under near-constant nightly attack. Nonetheless, the parts and score to Shved’s work just arrived two weeks ago, sent via email just as he and his family were about to run out to the bomb shelter.

Kolomiiets and I had a somewhat more conventional process in developing his piece, again facilitated by Theodore Kuchar. We exchanged emails and had a few in-depth meetings on Zoom. He had requested some recordings and videos of my playing. The Zoom meetings were more personal, and Maksim was intrigued about my background in film and as a narrator. His own operatic background (including a new commission by the Metropolitan Opera) came into play as he said ‘I might have something rather theatrical in this piece, too.’ And did he ever – it’s a surprise. I can’t give it away yet, hah!

Your connection to Ukraine is both musical and deeply personal. How has that relationship shaped your artistic motivations behind this project? 

James VanDemark: My own connection to Ukraine began when I was a teenager living and performing in Ontario, Canada. A prominent Ukrainian family connected to the orchestra of which I was principal bass knew my circumstances as a 17-year-old and took me into their home for several months. 

They loved music, had a daughter who was a fine pianist, and all sang and listened to Ukrainian folk music. The grandfather of the family – a retired Orthodox priest – lived there as well. Ukrainian was the first language in this home. The food, the music, the icons… it was a terrific cultural immersion, as was occasionally attending church with the family and hearing the deep voiced choir in a cloud of incense. The generosity of that family, and my close friendship with other Ukrainian string players – my Eastman colleague violinist Oleh Krysa, cellist Roman Borys of the Gryphon Trio, violist/conductor Ted Kuchar and others – all played into this ‘call to action’.

Each work explores a very different facet of the double bass. How do these contrasting pieces challenge or expand your own playing?

James VanDemark: The Kolomiiets and Shved are different pieces but their heart and motivation are related. Shved’s writing in Candle is often high and lyrical. Although Kolomiiets’ Concertino also has me playing higher, there are more complex rhythmic, vocal lines throughout the lower register in which I have to emphasise ease and projection to deliver the line. And with both pieces having just recently arrived, my wife and the dog have seen decidedly less of me.

You’ve championed new works throughout your career. Where do Kolomiiets and Shved fit into that broader artistic journey for you? 

James VanDemark: The journey into contemporary music for me began when I was studying with cellist Paul Katz of the Cleveland Quartet at the State University of Buffalo, which was also then a hotbed of new music with the resident Creative Associates: Morton Feldman, Julius Eastman, Jan Williams, Lukas Foss and others. I saw those folks regularly at school and performed frequently with them, particularly Julius Eastman. What a thrill for me as a college kid! 

Almost every commission and premiere I’ve been involved in has been a decidedly different experience, probably reflected in the variety of composers that have written for me. The works by Shved and Kolomiiets that I’ll be playing fit into my belief that with the right performer, composer, performing circumstance, and luck – we just might do something in Ukraine that transcends the genre of concerto soloist and orchestra. I’m hoping these two pieces need not be about me at all, but will serve a larger purpose.

What instrument do you use?

James VanDemark: My primary instrument is a late-19th-century Italian bass that I have owned for over 20 years. It’s very adaptable to a variety of repertoire and settings, solo, chamber music, contemporary, orchestral – but I’m not bringing it to Ukraine. The travel circumstances are currently just way too complicated with numerous planes, trains, and automobiles being the means to get to Lviv – and often in very small planes! So although I’m borrowing an instrument for the premieres, I will fortunately have a few days to get accustomed to it. I often demonstrate on my students’ instruments in my own teaching, and have practised the two pieces on three different instruments at home prior to my departure.

This project took root in a spontaneous moment filling in with the Lviv Philharmonic’s bass section just an hour before the concert. What has it meant to reconnect with conductor Theodore Kuchar and the orchestra in this way?

James VanDemark: I owe a great deal to Ted Kuchar, principal conductor of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine. We knew each other from playing a fair number of chamber music concerts together, and I have always enjoyed his wit and wisdom, and – as I’ve now discovered – his courage. Ted was an integral part of this process from the first exchanges we had backstage at Carnegie Hall and he has never once backed down; he knew these premieres would happen. The friends that I made in the orchestra have been equally supportive and encouraging throughout the whole process.

James VanDemark joins the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra under Theodore Kuchar to premiere Maksim Kolomiiets’ Concertino and Mykhailo Shved’s Candle on 16 May 2025 at  the 44th Virtuosos International Festival in Lviv, Ukraine.