Berklee concert for Ukraine: Boston students unite in support of Ukraine

By Ella Hamilton

Before singing her original song in Russian, Ukrainian student Vira Fediunina said, “It’s so beautiful when we have peace in this world, let’s make it beautiful again.” The song is her proclamation of the transition from dark to light, as she performed in support of her country at war.

Striving to support Ukraine following Russia's military invasion in late February, students from the Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory at Berklee hosted a fundraising event titled “Berklee Concert For Ukraine”. The concert on March 11 showcased around 50 Ukrainian, Eastern European and other performers specializing in all art disciplines, with the goal of emphasizing their cultural traditions.

The concert opened with 60 seconds of silence to “honor those who have died and those who will die,” said event organizer and pianist AnnaLotte Smith. The first performance of the set was the Ukrainian National Anthem, performed by a small group of Ukrainian people who asked the audience to stand as they honored their country.

The performers wore blue and yellow clothes, as well as traditional Ukrainian attire. Sofiya Nayda, a Ukrainian performer, wore a traditional headdress as she performed “мить” or “Moment” in English, her original song. “We don’t shy away from pain or joy,” said Nayda before singing her song about a warrior who is dying and seeing “the light.”

A striking performance of “Make Them Hear You” from “Ragtime” by vocalist Blake Hopkins elegantly summarized the event’s activism. “Teach every child to raise his voice, and then my brothers, then, will justice be demanded by ten million righteous men. Make then hear you,” belted Hopkins in his cry for peace.

The grand finale of the performance was Quintet op. 40, Movement 1 by Dora Pejacevic, an Eastern European piece that was lost for 100 years. “Our piece will be the Boston premiere,” said Christina Junga, a third-year violinist at Boston Conservatory. The dramatic performance left the audience feeling emotional and surprised as they rose for a standing ovation.

The concerts were split into three parts titled Hope, Unity and Peace. The performers and organizers encouraged all audience members to donate to Voices of Children, a charity fund that directly supports Ukrainian children who have, and will continue to, be affected by war.

Ukraine was faced with the largest military operation since 1945, as multiple major cities were attacked, according to The New York Times.

Thousands of Boston residents rallied in the streets on Sunday, Feb. 28 to show their support for Ukraine, one of many examples of Americans taking action in opposition to the crisis across the world. The Boston Globe reported that Boston City Hall was adorned with yellow and blue on that Sunday evening.

Valerie Folkmus, a songwriting student at Berklee from Ukraine, was one of the main organizers. She quickly acted on social media to find potential performers and sponsors in order to support friends and family in Ukraine. Social media platforms like Instagram were utilized for this event to find performers and encourage people to join in the audience or the YouTube live stream of the concerts.

“I think that as artists, one of the passions we all share is giving back and sharing our art with everybody. Our goal is that this performance is not even necessary to raise donations but increase awareness and do something that we love and share it with as many people as we can for this great cause,” said Maria Hodson, third-year violinist at Boston Conservatory.