The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra will play Lincoln Center in two free concerts at 7.30 pm this Thursday and Friday, 18th and 19th August. The powerful and symbolic international Freedom Tour includes recent refugees of the war, members of orchestras in other parts of Europe, and the leading musicians of Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, and Odesa.
In solidarity with the victims of the war in Ukraine, the Metropolitan Opera and the Polish National Opera brought these musicians together to create an orchestra for a European and American tour. The American performances will be held at Lincoln Center in a co-presentation of all eleven organizations on campus and, following, at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
The Ukrainian government is supporting the project by addressing the issues of allowing male musicians to put down weapons and take up their instruments in a remarkable demonstration of the power of art over adversity.
Members of the New York and Ukraine artist communities will come together for an outdoor reception following the August 18 performance, in an opportunity to connect and offer support for Ukrainian artists.
Under the leadership of Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, the Orchestra will perform a program that includes Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov’s Seventh Symphony and Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, with Ukrainian virtuoso Anna Fedorova. Leading Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska will perform the great aria “Abscheulicher!” from Beethoven’s Fidelio, a tribute to humanity and peace in the face of violence and cruelty.
While tickets to the concerts are free as the culminating events of Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City series, donations are encouraged to organizations supporting the resettlement of Ukrainians, such as Welcome.US. The organization’s Ukraine Welcome Hub serves as a central resource for information and resources on acts of welcome Americans can take to support displaced Ukrainians, including sponsorship.
United Airlines is generously supporting the American leg of the tour. The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra tour is generously supported by the Ford Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Ann Ziff, Chairman of the Metropolitan Opera.
