Ukrainian war requiem
by Benedict Sheehan
2026 JUNO Award WINNER
Classical Album of the Year (Large Ensemble)
We won.
On March 28, 2026, Benedict Sheehan: Ukrainian War Requiem was awarded the 2026 JUNO Award for Classical Album of the Year (Large Ensemble) - making this Pro Coro Canada's first JUNO Award win in our organization's history.
This recording is a vigil in sound - a memorial built from Ukrainian prayers, Latin texts, and Jewish melodies, woven together to honour the countless lives lost in Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. That it is now recognized by Canada's highest music honour feels both humbling and deeply right.
This award belongs to everyone who brought it to life:
• Composer: Benedict Sheehan
• Performers: Axios Men's Ensemble & The Tenors
and Basses of Pro Coro Canada
• Soloists: John Tessier & Yuliia Zasimova
• Conductor: Michael Zaugg
• Label: Cappella Records
• Recording: Soundmirror, Inc.
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Axios Men’s Ensemble is an all-male chorus founded in 2003 under the direction of Boris Derow, dedicated to performing Eastern sacred music in both liturgical and concert settings for modern audiences. The ensemble blends tradition with innovation, commissioning works by contemporary composers such as Hanna Havrylets, Roman Hurko, Victor Hrytsyshyn, and Oleksandr Tarasenko.
Their projects include recordings of The Resurrectional Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom by Fr. John Sembrat (2015) and Christ is Born: Hymns and Carols of the Nativity (2019), produced alongside conductor Michael Zaugg.
Axios has performed across Canada and the United States and recently commissioned Grammy-nominated composer Benedict Sheehan to compose Ukrainian War Requiem, a memorial honoring the countless victims of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
