On Saturday, February 28, the Yamawaki Art and Cultural Center (Lasell University) in Boston will host a charity concert "Warmth and Solidarity" by Ukrainian pianist Vadym Neselovskyi, dedicated to the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The event will be held offline in Massachusetts and with online broadcast, and the funds raised will go to help Kyiv residents suffering from Russian attacks on critical infrastructure.
This was reported on the event page on the Givebutter platform.
“My close friend, the famous Ukrainian pianist and composer Vadim Neselovskyi, will make a stop in Boston between concerts in Vienna and New York to give a performance for this gathering. Vadim’s work has received international recognition and high praise from media outlets such as NPR, PBS News Hour, and the Boston Globe. The New York Times included Neselovsky’s Odesa Suite in the list of “Five Albums You Can Listen to Right Now,” said Dmitry Smelansky, coordinator of the international initiative “Arts Against Aggression,” which also joined the organization of a fundraising campaign to support people in Kyiv.
Yes, February 24 marks the sad fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. And it is precisely to mark this anniversary that the famous Ukrainian pianist and composer Vadym Neselovsky, who lives in Boston and teaches at Berklee College of Music and MIT, will perform selected compositions from his famous albums "Odesa Suite", "Music for September", and other works spanning his entire career.
It is also noted that Neselovsky will share the stage with Dr. Ron Hirschberg, a physician at Home Base/Mass General Brigham and a member of the Invisible Wounds of Ukraine initiative. Ron is also the producer of the upcoming documentary “Standing Up Against The Sky,” which tells the story of a Ukrainian man who leaves his successful career as a leading ballet dancer to join the Ukrainian army after the Russian invasion in February 2022.
«During the event, Ron will show excerpts from the upcoming documentary, Standing Up Against The Sky, which features music from Vadim Neselovskyi's new album PERSEVERANTIA," the organizers note.
According to organizers, all funds raised will be transferred directly to Kyiv through the humanitarian organization Ukraine Rescue Fund. Local volunteers are already purchasing generators for orphanages, shelters and community centers, heating equipment for homes and critical facilities, and winter clothes for civilians and displaced persons who have been left without heat due to Russia’s deliberate attacks on energy infrastructure.
“With power plants destroyed and "Without heating systems, civilians are left without heat in sub-zero temperatures. The most vulnerable are the elderly, children, and hospital patients. For many families, a generator or heater means the difference between life and disaster. This is not a natural disaster. This is the result of deliberate Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure," the statement said.
Organizers emphasize that every donation helps provide heat, electricity, and basic survival conditions for the capital's most vulnerable residents.
"When you make a contribution, you send heat to your home, electricity to the hospital, and hope to your family," the announcement summarizes.
The concert will reportedly take place on February 28 at 5:00 p.m. (EST) at The Yamawaki Art and Cultural Center, Lasell University, 47 Myrtle Ave, Auburndale, Massachusetts, and will also be streamed live on the Givebutter platform. The event format is "pay-what-you-can," with no fixed cost tickets.
Background
URF – це благодійна організація, створена для надання невідкладної гуманітарної допомоги цивільним, постраждалим від війни в Україні. Це – повністю волонтерська команда, заснована людьми без попереднього досвіду в некомерційному секторі, які відгукнулися на кризу з особистої відданості. Те, що починалося з евакуації рідних і друзів, швидко переросло в ширшу місію допомоги всім, кого торкнулися насильство й руйнування війни. Підтримка донорів дозволяє URF надавати швидку, гнучку та по-справжньому людяну допомогу тим, хто її найбільше потребує, через компактну волонтерську мережу в Україні та за її межами.
Photo: vadimneselovskyi.com
Author: Inna Mikhno