On November 20, 2025, one of this year's most significant events in Odesa in the world of percussion instruments took place on the stage of the Union International Cultural Center - a GALA CONCERT of participants in the city festival "Odesa. U-next. PERCUSSION!" - an art project organized under the patronage of the Department of International Cooperation, Culture and Marketing of the Odessa City Council.

The co-organizer and coordinator of the event was the Odesa School of Arts No. 3. The artistic director of the festival was the teacher of the Department of Theoretical, Musical-Instrumental and Vocal Training, Doctor of Philosophy, laureate of international competitions in Italy, Serbia, Moldova, Ukraine, Hanna Ralo.

It is worth noting that the festival went far beyond the city of Odesa and acquired an all-Ukrainian scale, as more than 60 talented performers from different parts of Ukraine joined in its participation: Odessa, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Lyubotyn, Kamianskyi, Chornomorsk! Students of elementary, basic and professional sub-levels of the Sarny Art School of Rivne region, Kozelshchyna Children's Music School of Poltava region, Dunayevets Children's Art School of Khmelnytsky region, L.M. Nagayev Art School of Chornomorsk, Odesa region.

The GALA CONCERT was attended by both soloists and various musical groups, percussion ensembles of art schools of Odesa and the Chornomorsk Art School. Through joint efforts under the leadership of Hanna Ralo, a musical collaboration was formed at the final concert, which united teachers of art schools, as well as students of Ushynsky University and Odesa National Academy of Music named after A.V. Nezhdanova. In particular, students of the 1st and 3rd years of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Musical and Performing Arts and Socio-Cultural Practices took an active part in the project: Ivan Petrov, Olha Kochneva, Ulyana Vagapova and Lyudmila Krestopchuk.

In addition, Ivan Petrov, in tandem with the concertmaster of the Department of Theoretical, Musical, Instrumental and Vocal Training, laureate of international competitions Yulia Derenovskaya, presented a solo composition on the vibraphone. The GALA-CONCERT became a vivid example of artistic synergy, combining the skill of teachers, the energy of students of Ushynsky University and the Odesa Academy of Music, as well as young talents from all over Ukraine.

We sincerely congratulate Hanna Ralo, Artistic Director, PhD, on the successful implementation of the project, which has gone beyond the borders of the region! We wish that the rhythm of “Odesa. U-next. PERCUSSION!” will constantly inspire new creative discoveries and unite the artists of our country!