[2] The initiator and music director of the festival is Ukrainian composer Ihor Shcherbakov.
Since 1989, it has been held annually in Kyiv, Ukraine,[3] in the Spring, from late March to early April.
The festival traditionally presents symphonic, chamber, choral, and opera music performed by the best Ukrainian and foreign ensembles and soloists who are widely known in the world.
The festival is a member of one of the world's most famous associations of music and theater festivals—the International Society for Performing Arts (ISPA).
The festival also includes scientific conferences, master classes of composers and performers, presentations of new printed publications, CDs, video and audio recordings of new works, and creative meetings with outstanding artists.