A Dunedin concert next Sunday will raise funds for young people’s music education in Ukraine, with all proceeds going to the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, the Otago Daily Times reported.
“Sunflowers in Bloom — Harmonies for Ukraine” takes place November 8 at 2 p.m. at St Paul’s Cathedral. Veteran Dunedin musicians Donald Cullington on piano and Sydney Manowitz on violin organized the event, which follows a similar concert four years ago, ODT reported.
The orchestra supports young Ukrainians pursuing music careers and raises funds to help talented children in various ways, according to Cullington. The concert will feature classical musicians, the Stella Singers, Ukrainian folk performers and readings, with works by Dvorak, Chopin, Bax, Rutter and Walton alongside traditional music from Ukraine and other countries.
Honorary Ukrainian consul Olena Grubb said Ukrainian musicians are teaching, learning and performing under extremely difficult conditions, yet the Kyiv academy’s place among the world’s top 100 performing arts institutions shows Ukraine’s musical life is succeeding. Ukrainian musicologist Dr Yuri Chekan described the bombing of the Kharkiv University of Arts and Odesa Conservatory, both of which continue to operate, with displaced musicians hit hardest, ODT reported.
Grubb said the Dunedin concert would play a significant role in supporting Ukrainian music during the war.
For more information, visit odt.co.nz.