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This page has been set up for donations to Protect Children in Ukraine inspired by Jake Alexander, an exceptional Composer, Arranger & Choir Director of many community choirs in SE London.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Jake was asked by some of his singers if they could learn a Ukrainian song. This is the one he picked – a beautiful, traditional lullaby in the minor mode.

An interesting piece of trivia for your singers: Oi Khodyt’ Son Kolo Vikon is said to have inspired George Gershwin to write “Summertime”.

Although he did his best to write the lyrics out phonetically in a way that will make sense to native English speakers, he strongly suggests that you listen to the song being sung by a Ukrainian before you learn it or teach it to your choir. Many versions exist online – here is a lovely rendition by Ukrainian-American singer, Kvitka Cisyk.

As with many arrangements he writes, this song can be done using virtually any combination of singers. As indicated in the score, the parts can be taken down an octave if necessary, and it is entirely up to you how you choose to organise your singers. However, this is what I would suggest for mixed voice choirs:

– If you have just a small number of men in your choir relative to the number of women, I would put them all on Voice 1, singing down an octave, alongside a few women singing voice 1 at pitch.

– For mixed choirs with more or less the same numbers of men and women, I would share them equally between the parts, with the men always singing an octave lower than the women.

– In the unlikely event that you have a small number of women relative to the number of men, I would put them all on Voice 1, singing either at pitch or down the octave.

This resource pack contains the full score and high-quality audio learning tracks for each part, as well as a full ensemble recording.

In order to download the resource pack, you just need to register an account with us (which is also completely free and only takes a few minutes).

UPDATE 8/3/22: The resource pack now contains two versions of the score – one with the lyrics written out phonetically for native English speakers, and the other with the lyrics transcribed formally from the Ukrainian alphabet. The second version may be more appropriate for non-English speaking choirs.  If you have already downloaded the song, these scores will automatically be in your downloads page in the Accounts menu when you log on.

Thanks to Oksana Rodak for help with the transliteration of the lyrics.

Most of Jake's scores start at 50p/copy with 15 per pack. It would be wonderful if donations could be £1/copy or more. May the 'War stop'.

Please visit Choir Community's website to download the score & resource pack for your choir - 

Oi Khodyt' Son Kolo Vikon - Resource Pack - ChoirCommunity