Ukrainian baritone Yuriy Yurchuk, Royal Opera House Principal Artist, has appealed for support for Ukraine at fundraising events across the UK.
The Royal Opera House Concert for Ukraine will take place on 15 April on the main stage. Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv joins Music Director of The Royal Opera Antonio Pappano to conduct singers including Ukrainian baritone Yuriy Yurchuk, Ukrainian tenor Dmytro Popov, South African soprano Pretty Yende and British-Italian tenor Freddie De Tommaso. All net proceeds from this event will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) for Ukraine, including optional donations made to the Royal Opera House.
On 10 April at Rudolf Steiner House, performers, including Yuriy Yurchuk, will perform a mixed repertoire of Russian and Ukrainian works, raising support for refugees through DEC.
Being one of the first Ukrainians outside 10 Downing Street at the start of the conflict on 24 February, Yurchuk sang the Ukrainian anthem in call for peace.
He said, “art has always been a way for humanity to express pain, while uniting likeminded people at the face of disastrous events. I hope our voices will be heard by the world community to support and enable our struggle against this terrible war. My family and friends are now in my native city of Kyiv alongside millions of my countrymen and women, facing the horrors of war.”