Three local nonprofits collaborate to celebrate Ukrainian culture in the Rogue Valley
Ashland-based nonprofit Anima Mundi Productions is kicking off the 2024-25 season of their Heart of Humanity concert series with a weekend of events featuring Grammy-winning Ukrainian pianist Dr. Nadia Shpachenko, including a Ukrainian Cultural Fair on Friday, October 25—produced in collaboration with the Ashland-Sviatohirsk Aid Project and Uniting for Ukraine Rogue Valley—and a concert on Sunday, October 27.
Quick details:
Friday, October 25, 6:30-8:30 pm
Ukrainian Fall Cultural Fair
Ashland Unitarian Church, 87 4th St, Ashland
This event is FREE but RSVP is required online or by phone:
https://animamundiproductions.com/RSVP
(541) 833-3066 ext. 4
This event is free but there will be opportunities to make tax-deductible donations to support Ukrainian war refugees and purchase arts, crafts, and treats made by our local Ukrainian community
Concert: Nadia Shpachenko in recital
SOU Music Recital Hall on Mountain Ave., Ashland
Tickets can be purchased at www.HumanityTickets.com
or by phone at (541) 833-3066 ext. 1
About Grammy-winning pianist Dr. Nadia Shpachenko
Called “a gifted and versatile pianist” by The San Francsico Chronicle, Los Angeles-based Ukrainian pianist Nadia Shpachenko has performed at many of the world’s leading venues, including Carnegie Hall in NYC, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and on the L.A. Philharmonic’s Chamber Music Series, as well as with orchestras throughout Europe and the Americas. As “one of today’s foremost promoters of contemporary music” (Textura Magazine), Dr. Shpachenko has worked tirelessly to commission works of art and music that bring attention and humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees around the world. This program will feature two world premieres composed especially for this program in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
About the Ukrainian Fall Cultural Fair
Dr. Shpachenko will headline an evening of Ukrainian treats, music, arts, crafts, and storytelling at the Ashland Unitarian Church at 6:30 pm on Friday, October 25th. The event is free, but an RSVP is required. There will be opportunities to support refugees both here and abroad.
RSVP at https://animamundiproductions.com/RSVP or (541) 833-3066 ext. 4
In addition to a brief piano performance by Dr. Shpachenko, the Cultural Fair will offer performances by celebrated local Ukrainian pianist Iryna Kudielina, the Ukrainian vocal ensemble Kalynonka, and others, as well as a sale of baked goods, textile arts, and paintings by members of our local Ukrainian refugee community.
About Dr. Shpachenko’s concert on October 27th
On Sunday, October 27 at 3:00 pm at the SOU Music Recital Hall on Mountain Ave, Dr. Nadia Shpachenko will perform a solo piano recital titled Unbreakable Spirit: Music of Resilience. The Ukraine-themed program will feature two world premieres—including Bomb Shelter Variations by Anima Mundi Productions resident composer Ethan Gans-Morse—alongside Chopin’s famous Piano Sonata No. 2, works by Ukrainian composers past and present, and several other new works written in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A Group Effort
Anima Mundi Productions is honored to partner with both of our region’s nonprofits dedicated to supporting those impacted by the Russian invasion: The Ashland-Sviatohirsk Aid Project and the Rogue Valley chapter of Uniting for Ukraine, which supports Ukrainian refugees in Southern Oregon. As explained on Uniting for Ukraine’s website:
Ashland is fortunate to have two fine organizations supporting Ukraine: Our own Uniting for Ukraine Rogue Valley (U4URV) and the Ashland-Sviatohirsk Aid Project (ASAP).
Uniting for Ukraine Rogue Valley focuses on bringing Ukrainian families and individuals out of the war zone, arranging transportation to the US, and resettlement in the Rogue Valley. Once here, a core of host families and volunteers ensure basic needs are met for housing, food, jobs, communication, health, and transportation.
Donations to U4URV go to supporting Ukrainians here in the Rogue Valley region. ASAP focuses on helping Ashland’s Ukrainian sister city, Sviatohirsk, restore its infrastructure after the incredible damage done by Russian forces in the area. Donations to ASAP go to help those in Sviatohirsk, Ukraine. Although we support each other’s missions, we are not affiliated.
About the Heart of Humanity Series
Now entering its sixth season, Anima Mundi Productions’ annual concert series is dedicated to bringing world-class musicians to Southern Oregon for musical events that turn the concert hall into a space for renewed hope, communal healing, and mutual understanding.
The 2024-25 season, called Hand in Hand together, brings world-class musicians from Ukraine, Israel, Jordan, and Palestine whose talents, stories, and art transcend borders.
Details at www.HumanityTickets.com
