Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra's free performance in Edinburgh will be a historic occasion – Angus Robertson MSP

One of the highlights of the 2022 Edinburgh Festivals will be the historic concert by the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra at the Usher Hall.
Liudmyla Monastyrska will perform an aria from Verdi’s Aida (Picture: Mandl/Getty Images)Liudmyla Monastyrska will perform an aria from Verdi’s Aida (Picture: Mandl/Getty Images)
Liudmyla Monastyrska will perform an aria from Verdi’s Aida (Picture: Mandl/Getty Images)

Free tickets are now available and the public is being invited to apply quickly before all seats at the show are taken.

Scotland’s capital city is twinned with the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, so it is entirely fitting for the biggest arts festival in the world to host the only performance in Scotland during the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra tour of Europe and the USA.

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The concert is a special collaboration between the International Festival and the Scottish Government and is in support of the city’s Ukrainian community and those directly affected by the war.

Orchestra members include leading Ukrainian musicians and performers assembled by New York’s Metropolitan Opera, the Polish National Opera, and members of other European orchestras. Special exemptions for military-age male members of the orchestra have been issued to allow them to perform internationally.

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The orchestra is led by the Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, with its repertoire including Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov’s Seventh Symphony; Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto with Ukrainian virtuoso Anna Fedorova; and leading Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska who will perform an aria from Verdi’s Aida.

Funds raised at the concert will support the Scottish Refugee Council, which continues to take a leading role in welcoming displaced Ukrainians to Scotland and providing vital assistance as they settle in. Apply for tickets via Edinburgh International Festival’s website, www.eif.co.uk.

Angus Robertson is the SNP MSP for Edinburgh Central and Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Secretary

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