Orchestra of Ukrainian refugees to “honour the dead” at UK BBC Proms
The BBC Proms is welcoming a special act this year, as an orchestra of Ukrainian refugees and Ukrainian musicians are expected to take centre stage.
The newly-formed Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra was added to the programme of classical music “at the 11th hour”, Proms director David Pickard said, per the BBC.
“I think sometimes you can feel rather powerless if you’re involved in the cultural world when a huge event like this war is going on, and this is a marvellous way to support the country and celebrate the power of music to cross divides,” he said.
The Ukrainian government has even granted an exemption to military-age male musicians so they can leave the country and play in the orchestra.
I’m so proud that the formation of the #UkrainianFreedomOrchestra has been announced. Formed with leading Ukrainian musicians from inside and outside of Ukraine, we will assemble in Warsaw in July for 10 days of intensive rehearsals, before embarking on an 11 city tour. pic.twitter.com/2Y7gc83DG3
— Keri-Lynn Wilson (@kerilynnwilson) April 26, 2022
Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lyn Wilson said the orchestra - which has been her brainchild - would “honour those who have died” in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“I wanted to bring the best orchestral musicians of Ukraine together, from both inside and outside of their country, in a proud display of artistic unity,” she said in a statement announcing their tour, which will take them across Europe and on to the United States.
“The tour is an expression of love for their homeland and to honour those who have died and have suffered so much.”
Their inclusion comes as the Proms returns to the Royal Albert Hall for its first full-scale season since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 3,000 musicians expected to perform across 84 concerts over eight weeks.
With a programme including Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov’s Seventh Symphony and aria Abscheulicher! from Beethoven’s Fidelio which calls for humanity and peace in the face of violence, it’s easy to see why Mr Pickard predicts it will be a powerful and cathartic performance.
Funds raised from the tour, which runs from July 28 until August 20, will be used to support Ukrainian artists according to a statement from the Metropolitan Opera.
“Music can be a powerful weapon against oppression,” Peter Gelb, the Metropolitan Opera’s general manager, and Waldemar Dabrowski, the director of the Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera, said in a joint statement.
“This tour is meant to defend Ukrainian art and its brave artists as they fight for their freedom of their country.”
Image: @kerilynnwilsonmaestro (Instagram)