Presented in collaboration with the resident organizations of Lincoln Center.

In solidarity with the victims of the war in Ukraine, the Metropolitan Opera and the Polish National Opera have gathered leading Ukrainian musicians into the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra for a European and American tour, culminating with outdoor concerts at Lincoln Center. Under the leadership of Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, the orchestra will perform a program that includes Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov’s Seventh Symphony and Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, with Ukrainian virtuoso Anna Fedorova. Leading Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska will perform the great aria “Abscheulicher!” from Beethoven’s Fidelio, a paean to humanity and peace in the face of violence and cruelty.

The orchestra will include recent refugees, Ukrainian members of European orchestras, and some of the top musicians of Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and elsewhere in Ukraine. The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine is supporting the project by addressing the organizational issues of allowing male musicians to put down weapons and take up their instruments in a remarkable demonstration of the power of art over adversity.

Program for August 18
VALENTIN SYLVESTROV Symphony No. 7
CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2
Intermission
BEETHOVEN “Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin?” (Fidelio)
BRAHMS Symphony No. 4

Program for August 19
VALENTIN SYLVESTROV Symphony No. 7
CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2
Intermission
VERDI “Qui Radames verrà!–Oh Patria Mia” (Aida)
DVORAK Symphony No. 9

While tickets to the concerts are free as the culminating events of Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City series, donations are encouraged to organizations supporting the resettlement of Ukrainians, such as Welcome.US. The organization’s Ukraine Welcome Hub serves as a central resource for information, tools, and acts of welcome Americans can take to support displaced Ukrainians, including sponsorship.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Guest Services at 212-875-5456 or [email protected].

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