CAROL OF THE BELLS: A UKRAINIAN CHRISTMAS IN MUSIC

The Ukrainian Canadian Advocacy Group has announced CAROL OF THE BELLS: A UKRAINIAN CHRISTMAS IN MUSIC, which will feature seasonal music performed by internationally renowned concert pianist Anna Sagalova, guitarist Denys Panchenko, and the Kolo Ukrainian Choir. The holiday event will take place at the Annex in Vancouver on Tuesday, December 5th at 8PM and tickets are on sale now. The event is a fundraiser for the Ukrainian Canadian Advocacy Group’s Rehabilitation Program for the Children of Fallen Heroes. This musical kick-off to the holiday season features Ukrainian handicrafts for sale and carolling, all in the festive setting of a beautifully decorated Orpheum Annex Theatre in downtown Vancouver. The concert derives its name from “Shchedryk,” the stirring 1916 New Year’s song by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych about a little swallow. Leontovych was murdered by the Soviet state in 1921. “Shchedryk” was adapted into one of the world’s most recognized Christmas songs, “Carol of the Bells”. The program for the evening includes an array of traditional Ukrainian Christmas carols and two arrangements of “Shchedryk”. The concert will be emceed by Ukrainian-Canadian composer, vocalist, and musical director Anna Pidgorna and includes performances by renowned Ukrainian pianist and Honoured Artist of Ukraine Anna Sagalova and well-known Ukrainian guitarist and composer Denys Panchenko, accompanied by the Lower Mainland’s Kolo Ukrainian Choir. Sagalova and Panchenko currently reside in South Surrey and are refugees in Canada because of the war. Proceeds from Carol of the Bells: A Ukrainian Christmas in Music ticket sales will benefit the Ukrainian Canadian Advocacy Group’s Rehabilitation Program for the Children of Fallen Heroes. The program brings grieving children to a peaceful retreat in the Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains for two weeks of trauma therapy, art therapy, and extracurricular experiences. The program is free to the children who participate, and brings together experts from around the world. To date, more than 150 children have been supported by the program.