Owing to the escalation of the war and the fighting in Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes. People are facing a humanitarian catastrophe in the middle of Europe. Many children and young people across the country are also at risk, which is why the Slovenian Youth Orchestra (SMO), led by Živa Ploj Peršuh, conductor of the Orchestra of the Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet and also artistic director of SMO, responded immediately to the request for help from the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine (YsOU), led by the internationally renowned conductor Oksana Lyniv.
The Slovenian Youth Orchestra is working with the competent authorities, the City Municipality of Ljubljana and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as with YsOU as its Ukrainian partner, and is ready to help and to provide evacuation and initial humanitarian aid, accommodation and further assistance in the event of a longer stay.
In addition, the Slovenian Youth Orchestra and the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, together with the European Career Centre for Artists, will organise and carry out a range of creative activities: daily music lessons, masterclasses, conducting workshops, an orchestral academy, a chamber orchestra academy and concerts that will be broadcast live.
Alongside this initiative, integration is also important and indispensable, which is why, together with YsOU, we founded the project Music for the future, with the aim of enabling young Ukrainian musicians to overcome the trauma of war and, with their knowledge and their love – MUSIC – to help stop the horrors while encouraging all those fighting for peace to engage with music once again.
Statement by Oksana Lyniv, conductor of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine:
“We are now living in terrible times. The Russian aggression against my country is inhuman and unequivocally cruel. My greatest pain and suffering now belong to my young musicians from the Youth Orchestra of Ukraine, as well as to all young musicians in the country. I want to do everything in my power to give all the young people from my homeland hope of a normal life once again. Let art now become both a weapon and a remedy in this struggle. Through this project we want to encourage them not to give up music and to give them the opportunity to continue developing within the European cultural space. The situation in Ukraine is developing rapidly and changing by the hour. The Slovenian Youth Orchestra continues to provide assistance to young refugees affected by the conflict. Your donation will be of great help with organisation and care.”
