 In October 1994, the newly elected President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, granted the building the status of National Philharmonic of Ukraine.In 2000, the National Philharmonic received a cultural grant from the Government of Japan with which it was able to acquire a new concert grand piano and additional musical instruments for its symphony orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine.Today, the Lysenko Colonnaded Hall of the Philharmonic remains one of the two most prestigious classical music stages in the city (along with the Kiev Opera.)