National Philharmonic Society, Kiev

The National Philharmonic Society is located at Vladimirsky Spusk, no. 2, in the House of the Merchant Assembly. The seat of the Ukrainian Philharmonic is a splendid 19th century edifice that has survived two world wars and recently been declared a local architectural monument.

The history of the National Philharmonic starts in 1863, with the establishment of the Kiev branch of the Imperial Russian Music Society. This new type of entertainment was highly appreciated by the locals. The House of Merchant Assembly was built in 1881, in time when the local artistic community grew particularly anxious to have a designated place for classical music. By 1919, the venue had seen performances by such iconic figures of the Russian music as Rakhmaninov, Sobinov, Skryabin, Nezhdanova and Shalyapin. The key role in the development of the Philharmonic was played by Nikolay Vitalevich Lysenko, whereas the name of Alexander Mihaylovich Vinogradsky has left the biggest imprint in its history, as one of the best conductors who had ever worked there.

In 1919, the Philharmonic was shut down and in 1927 moved to Kharkov. In 1934, it returned to Kiev. For most of WWII it didn't operate and resumed work only in 1944, after the city was liberated from the Nazis. In 1996, following profound restoration works, the National Philharmonic Society building was re-opened to the public.