Ukrainian opera singer in Japan prays for peace in song and melody

Stepanyuk, a Ukrainian soprano opera singer living in a Tokyo suburb, sings during a rehearsal before a charity concert as she stands next to a Ukrainian flag in Kokubunji, west of Tokyo. Photo: AP

The Ukrainian song has no words.

When Oksana Stepanyuk, an award-winning soprano with The Japan Opera Foundation, performs Melody, composed by Myroslav Skoryk, her voice turns into a wail of mourning, a pensive but piercing prayer for her homeland.