Music for Ukraine: on the way to a twelfth ambulance for Ukraine
On May 11, the Music for Ukraine Foundation will organize a benefit concert with Oleg Lysenko (bayan) and Maya Fridman (cello) in the Zuiderkerk in Amsterdam. The foundation hopes to use the proceeds to buy a twelfth ambulance for Ukraine soon.
In February 2022, the Russian army invaded Ukraine. The war continues unabated to this day. Unfortunately, the fighting has claimed many civilian casualties. The need for humanitarian support therefore remains undiminished.
The Music for Ukraine Foundation raises money with concerts to buy humanitarian supplies for Ukraine. So far, the foundation has been able to send 11 ambulances to Ukraine. Another €15,000 is needed to buy the next ambulance. Music for Ukraine hopes to raise part of this with a unique concert in the beautiful Zuiderkerk in Amsterdam.
Ukrainian lullabies and classical pieces
The musicians are Oleg Lysenko (bayan) and Maya Fridman (cello). They will perform arrangements of folk music from all corners of Ukraine, including traditional lullabies. They will also perform works by classical Ukrainian composers such as Mykola Lysenko, Myroslav Skoryk and Viktor Vlasov.
The musicians
Oleg Lysenko is a virtuoso bayanist, trained at the Kyiv Conservatory. In 2005, he won first prize at the National Accordion Competition with his performance of Vlasov’s “Five Views on the Land of the Gulag Archipelago”, which can also be found on Lysenko’s 2012 CD Gulag. Oleg is a co-founder of Music for Ukraine. He has performed over 200 benefit concerts since February 2022.
Maya Fridman is a versatile cellist and composer. In 2019 she won the Dutch Classical Talent Award. After that she was Artist in Residence at TivoliVredenburg and at November Music. In 2023 she released her first own album: The Power of Indifference. In the weeks and months after the Russian invasion in 2022, Maya organized several concerts for the benefit of Ukraine. Her concert series was recorded in the 2022 documentary United We Stand (Musicians in Times of War) by David van Tijn.
More information, including other projects, can be found at www.musicforukraine.com
