In 2022, Vlad Kostylev and a small group of other Canadians living in Nova Scotia with roots in Ukraine formed the Ukrainian Cultural Society here, or UCS, as a response to what was happening abroad. “That was when the active phase of Russia’s war against Ukraine started,” says Kostylev, who is president of the non-profit organization. Millions of Ukrainians were either fleeing an active warzone or were being displaced from their homes and coming to other countries, like Canada, to seek refuge.
Since its formation, the UCS has made it its mission to support local Ukrainian musicians and artists—both students and teachers—and lift up those artists’ talents through public concerts that direct ticket sales into the community through arts and music education scholarships.
